Guard Tamers
by Jenashu
Summary: This action-packed fic puts the Digidestined in the world of the video game Digimon World 2. It's a hilarious, romantic, and exciting page turner! The Blood Knights are back, and no one wants to face it...until it's too late. Chapter 5 is up!
1. Studious Sister

Legal Crap (Disclaimer): I do not own Digimon. I do not own Digimon World 2. I don't own any characters except Jen, Galemon, and all of Galemon's forms. A few characters that other fans own will make cameos, so when their time comes, know that I do not own them! Haffa nice day, and don't sue me!  
  
Jen: Whooo! Everyone, I've been meaning to write this fic for YEARS! I mean it! I remember when I went to England and France and I started daydreaming about it... That also happens to be where I created Garu Sayoe and started Odaiba High. Good times.  
  
Yama: Jen. They. Don't. Care.  
  
Jen: ...*sweatdrop* Well, the point is that I've been meaning to do this for a long time. It's a good thing I waited because I know much more about Japan than I did before. Not that I know that much...   
  
Yama: Jen. They. Don't. Care.  
  
Jen: Fine! Time to introduce the story. If any of you have played Digimon World 2, you'll know that the battle system is crappy. A fight with the boss is no different than a fight with a Numemon, except for the stinky, would-be dramatic music. The battle system is so monotonous; all that changes is the offending Digimon. So I quit long before the end of the game because I was going CRAZY. So I'm making up stuff about the Blood Knights because I never saw what happens. Also, FYI, when DNA Digivolution occurs, the new Digimon doesn't split into the two original ones again. Also, Digimon Digivolve according to experience; an inexperienced Gomamon does not become Ikkakumon. It becomes Tortomon. Oh! And Guard Tamers are NOT the same thing as the Tamers from season 3! They're completely different! Are we on the same page?  
  
Yama: Zzzzzz...huh? Oh! Right! I'd better start the fic before she starts talking again. Enjoy!  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Studious Sister  
  
Inside a bustling metropolitan area, the innocent civilians of Digital City live their day-to-day lives in relative safety. This safety is not entirely due to the efforts and enforcement of the Law, but rather to the ceaseless labors of the Gaurd Tamers. These gallant individuals strive to protect the citizens from their greatest fear: wild Digimon.  
  
There are several reasons why people aspire to be Gaurd Tamers. The most honorable reason is described above, but many Tamers simply want to keep Digimon as companions or pets. Some train them for shows and tournaments to make money, while others convince rare ones to befriend them in order to show them off as collector's pieces. Some train them as personal bodyguards, some desire their great power, and some simply want to study these curious creatures. For whatever reason, becoming a Guard Tamer is the great ambition of many....  
  
  
  
The unmerciful summer sun sank slowly from the heavens, setting the sky aflame with orange and crimson hues and finally relieving the sweltering beings that called Monitor Village home. Digital City seemed like another world to the sleepy citizens of this quiet suburb, despite the fact that it was only a few miles away. Time seemed to crawl by unnaturally slow here, especially if you happened to be waiting for something. And that was exactly what eight-year-old Jenashu Hino was doing.  
  
The young girl sprawled herself out on a bed that was far too large for her, absently swishing her legs back and forth as she poured into a book. Suddenly she rolled onto her back and jumped from the bed, making her way towards her newborn brother.   
  
"Cody! Get off of Terriormon!" she cried, prying her stuffed toy from the infant's grip and inspecting the chewed ear. "Eww!" she added. With a sigh, the sister fished a pacifier from her overall's front pocket and offered it to the baby, who had promptly started wailing when she rescued her plushie.   
  
Sighing in relief at the blessed silence that followed, Jen picked up the toy and flopped back down on the bed, intending to resume reading. However, the instant she got settled, she shouted, "Juunchi!" and sprang up again. She stopped momentarily to smooth down her older brother's bed, put his book away on the bookshelf, and pick up her toy and her baby brother, leaving behind no evidence of her presence in the room.  
  
Jenashu 'Jen' Hino ran eagerly towards the sound of an old, tired engine puttering in the driveway like a giant, demented cat. Finally the light of the setting sun met her eyes, sharpening all of her features. Her dark brown hair caught the orange rays as it flew behind her. She shook her head to get her bangs, which were naturally highlighted with blonde, out of her dark chocolate colored eyes. She was very fair skinned, so white that she burned no matter how much sun screen she applied. Round glasses framed her big eyes with their elegant, long lashes. She was pudgy-not fat, mind you-with long, pudgy legs. Her teeth were miserably arranged, and her goofy smile made her older brother laugh.  
  
The twelve-year-old boy grinned in his usual cocky manner. He had hazel eyes with glasses, and his hair was an even darker shade of brown than his sister's. His overgrown bowl cut had no highlights. He had mercifully started to grow out of his pudginess. Absently he patted his car. However, this was no ordinary vehicle; this was a Digi-Beetle, the living conveyance of a Digimon Tamer. The Digi-Beetle winked at Jen.  
  
"Didja get a new Digimon?" Jen asked eagerly. Juunchi gave her a superior look.  
  
"Of course. Don't I always get one when I visit a Domain? Take a look at this!" he said proudly. He punched a button on the control panel of his Digi-Beetle, causing a little green Digimon with a red fin on its back to appear before him. Juunchi opened his mouth to introduce it, but he was cut off by a shriek of glee.  
  
"Ooooooooh! That's Betamon! He's a rookie virus type who attacks with Electric Shock, and he can Digivolve into four Digimon: Darkrizamon, DarkTyrannomon, Tuskmon, and Seadramon!" Jen attempted to pet the Digimon, who cowered shyly behind the Digi-Beetle. Juunchi watched her with disbelief.  
  
"Have you been sneaking in my room to read my Digimon books again?" he demanded. Jen smiled while her back was towards him as she inspected Betamon. Jen cast a longing gaze at her older brother.  
  
"Can I have him?" she asked, pointing at Juunchi's newest Digimon. He frowned.  
  
"You can't have him. You're not a Guard Tamer," he said bluntly.  
  
"I want to be!" Jen demanded stubbornly. "How do I get my license?"   
  
"You have to take a test, and it's too tough for kids," her brother answered. "So forget it."  
  
"No!" The young girl stamped her foot on the ground. "I will become a tamer! I'm taking the test!" Juunchi knew better than to argue with his determined sister.  
  
"Mom'll say the same thing as me. Go on, ask. You're too young."  
  
"I think she can do it!" A Gommamon waved a flipper at Jen from the back of the Digi-Beetle.  
  
"Yay Lance!" Jen chirped. Juunchi's frown grew even deeper.  
  
"Don't influence her, Lance!" he ordered. The Gommamon smiled mischievously. "You just like stirring up trouble, you beast," he added in exasperation.  
  
"Cody thinks I can do it, too!" Jen giggled, stroking her baby brother's downy head as he gurgled happily. She gave him a hug. Juunchi slapped his forehead and hopped onto his Digi-Beetle. With a few pushes of buttons, he recalled Betamon and rolled away in it with Lance by his side.  
  
"I don't believe this," Juunchi muttered darkly as he stood outside a large building in Digital City. "You can get away with murder, kid. But there's no way you'll pass."  
  
"Aww, she'll do fine," Lance stated cheerfully. "After all, she's always sneaking into your room to study Digimon!" Jen giggled as Juunchi frowned again.  
  
When the trio walked into the building, Jen was taken aback. The place was huge and way too official. It was all very intimidating. She glanced towards her brother for support, but he was already lounging in a cushy seat and reaching for an outdated Digimon Digest magazine.  
  
"Hey!" she whimpered. Juunchi snorted.  
  
"You wanted to be a Tamer, so go do it. The test starts pretty soon." Jen gaped at him, but Lance gently tugged at her dress with his teeth.  
  
"C'mon. He's just mad that he has to spend his Saturday morning here," the Digimon explained. "I'll go with you."  
  
"Thank you! Mom wouldn't let me come alone," Jen sighed.  
  
"This way." Lance dragged Jen to a desk that she could only see over on her toes.  
  
"Excuse me!" The woman behind the desk blinked as she searched for the owner of the high-pitched voice. She blinked in surprise when she saw a pair of dark eyes staring at her. The lady leaned over the desk to look down at Jen.  
  
"Can I help you? Are you lost, honey?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"N-no," Jen stammered nervously. "I wanna be the best Tamer, so I'm here to take the test!"  
  
"Oh." The woman paused a moment to collect herself. "Sweetie, are you sure you're not lost?"  
  
"YES!" Lance and Jen chorused.  
  
"I see.... Can you read, honey? And write?"  
  
"YES!"  
  
"...I think your Mother should approve this..." the woman said uncertainly. Lance grinned.  
  
"That's all taken care of!" he stated. He looked at Jen, who pulled a bunch of official papers from her pocket. She handed them to the woman, who inspected them carefully. Finally, she had to admit that everything she needed was there, and Jen was able to enter the testing room. Lance waddled towards his human.  
  
"They wouldn't let me go in with her," he explained as he settled himself by Juunchi's feet. He sighed and got ready to wait.  
  
Lance awoke a while later when a loud shuffle broke out. He yawned and casted a confused look around the building before he remembered where he was and the why of it all. "Yow!" he protested sharply when someone stepped on his furry white flipper. He noticed a large crowd lingering by three large TV screens.  
  
"It's no good," Juunchi moaned. "She's not here. I told her...." He knocked his forehead against the monitor that displayed the scores and pictures of the people who had barely passed.  
  
"Ooooooh!" Lance cried. "Oooooh! There, there!" He danced happily beneath the image of Jen smiling nervously.   
  
"An 83%.... Not too bad for a kid, I guess," Juunchi said absently.  
  
"Who cares what she got? She passed! She's a Tamer! Whooooo!" Gommamon sang.  
  
"Yeah. Just calm down before you wet yourself."  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Jen: YAY!  
  
Yama: ...  
  
Jen: Well, the first chapters of action stories aren't usually the greatest. The story gets better with every chapter as the Blood Knights close it on Digital City! I already planned every one of the 17 chapters! Well, give or take if I change my mind about something along the way. But this is gonna be soooo awesome! I can't wait! So I'll see you in the next chapter, which actually takes place four years from the first one! Who wants to read about a little kid the whole time, right? Right. Anyway, this is gonna be great, so stick with me! See ya then! In the meantime, I've got a lot of great, HILARIOUS stories. I mean laugh-till-you-cry hilarious. So check 'em out! 


	2. Howdy, Partner!

Legal Crap (Disclaimer): I don't own Digimon or Digimon World 2. I don't own anyone who makes a cameo, which, in this chapter, happens to be Indigo Motimiya, who belongs to Little Indigo. Oh, and the last name is something else, but I forgot it, and since she's supposed to be Davis's cousin, I figured I'd just make her last name Motimiya for today. All I own is Jenashu and Galemon. Haffa nice day, and don't sue me!  
  
Jen: Five reviews. Five.  
  
Yama: I told you no one likes your stuff, Jen.  
  
Jen: ...Shut up Yama! *sob*   
  
Yama: I know a good therapist, Jen.  
  
Jen: Whoopty-do. Actually, I realized that I got a question and an answerable comment in two of my five reviews, so at the end of this chapter I'll have a Review Section to reply to the reviews that I can say something about.  
  
Yama: Are you trying to entice your readers to review?  
  
Jen: ... ... ...N-no, Yama, this is a service to my readers! A service!  
  
Yama: Sure. Just start the fic.  
  
Jen: Right! Enjoy the second chapter of Guard Tamers! By the way, I finally learned that Guard is not spelled Gaurd! Whooot! Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to Lily! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COUSIN!!!!!!!  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Howdy, Partner  
  
"BBS Town was attacked by several wild Musroomon last night, but they were quickly defeated by local Black Swords Guard Tamer Indigo Motimiya, as shown in the preceding amateur video. Local Blue Falcon Guard Tamer Yosu Nosuke mysteriously vanished last Tuesday, and there is still no evidence to lead the Police to him. At least twenty domesticated Digimon have disappeared every day across Server Continent for the last week. Anyone with information on the possible abduction of Yosu Nosuke or the Digimon is urged to alert authorities. The cause of all of this is still unknown."  
  
"Yeah, right," Jen muttered as the news ended. She turned off the TV and started pacing.  
  
Four years had passed since Jenashu Hino had become a Guard Tamer. She was now twelve, and she no longer saw being a Tamer as fun and games. She took her duties very seriously-unless she wasn't doing anything official. Jen's hair was longer, and it spilled down to the middle of her back. She was taller and thinner.  
  
"They're afraid. No one wants to open their eyes," she mumbled.  
  
"You're making me dizzy with all that pacing," a funny voice commented. "You're going to walk holes into the carpet." A Tentomon flew into the living room and settled on the couch.  
  
"Oh Mantis, I wish people weren't so cowardly," Jen complained as she collapsed beside the Digimon.  
  
"Don't worry, Jen. I'm sure some day you'll find a boy who is brave enough to date you," Mantis assured her. Jen frowned.  
  
"Hey! How about this! I'll set you up with a nice can of bug spray," Jen offered. The Tentomon cringed.  
  
"No thanks. Now, what's really wrong?" he asked. Jen leaned close to him.  
  
"...Do you know anything about the Blood Knights?" she said in a hushed voice.  
  
"Sure!" Mantis replied. "They were in power a long time ago."  
  
"Exactly. They were like a large Guard Team of evil Tamers. Like the Black Swords gone horribly wrong. Using their manipulated and evil Digimon, they captured, tortured, and killed thousands of Tamers. And anyone else who got in their way."  
  
"Don't forget us!" Mantis added. "They also stole Digimon! They brainwashed the powerful ones to do their bidding, and they deleted the ones that they thought were weak!"   
  
"Right," Jen continued. "They also released wild Digimon into towns, which is always disastrous."  
  
"You know, that sounds an awful lot like the things that have been happening lately," Mantis realized. A very satisfied look crossed Jen's face.  
  
"Thank you!" she cried. "There is someone with a brain out there!"  
  
"But no one's seen them for 50 years! How could they be back?" Mantis argued.  
  
"Their leader was never captured," Jen explained. "Crimson. He was rumored to have a secret weapon or something, too."  
  
"And 50 years is a long time to regroup," the Tentomon mused. Jen nodded. "So how come the Guard Teams aren't doing anything?"  
  
The Guard Teams. Every Tamer who wants to protect Server Continent from wild Digimon or any other Digimon-related threat has to join one of these three teams. At these teams, Guard Tamers can buy supplies for cheaper prices than they can in public stores. Each team has a leader who gives missions to worthy Tamers, and the rewards are usually rich. Here, team members can mingle with other members, sharing news, strategies, and just bragging about their wonderful Digimon. There's no better place to challenge someone to a battle. Members of the teams always help each other out. Once you join a team, you're in it for life, unless you're kicked out for extremely bad behavior by the leader. There is no dropping out to join a different team. The teams are all fierce rivals.  
  
The Gold Hawks Guard Team fights for honor and justice. They favor Vaccine-type Digimon. Their leader is Vandar, and Agumon is their mascot. The Blue Falcons fight for freedom and harmony. They like Data-type Digimon. Their leader is Cecilia, and their mascot is Patamon. The Black Swords fight for power and authority. They prefer Virus-type Digimon. Their leader is Skull, and their mascot is Demidevimon.  
  
"They're afraid," Jen repeated. "No one wants to open their eyes. The Blood Knights were horrible. But I'm going to talk to Vandar about it."  
  
"Mom," Jen called as she put her shoes on, "I'm going to headquarters." Her mother had hardly given an affirmative before Jen was out the door, with Mantis buzzing behind.  
  
"Good morning, Miss Hino," said the Gold Hawks guard as Jen walked into the Gold Hawks HQ (A/N: HQ=headquarters). Jen returned the greeting as she passed by. As always, the place was bustling with activity, but Jen ignored it and went purposely to the Leader's Quarters.  
  
A young man in his mid-twenties turned around as Jen entered the room. He raised his right hand to salute him, and Jen mimicked the gesture. "Guard Leader Vandar," she said respectfully, "I have something important to tell you." As always, she felt a bit nervous around her leader and mentor.  
  
"Let's hear it, Pro Tamer Jenashu Hino," Vandar replied formally. He used her rank to address her. Jen was currently a Rank 4 Pro Tamer, but she had a long ways to go before she reached the highest Rank-Chief Tamer.  
  
"Well, sir, I've noticed that a lot of strange things have been happening lately, and I think...I think the Blood Knights are responsible," Jen said. She realized with a wave of embarrassment that she should have planned her speech better. Vandar was staring at her.  
  
"The Blood Knights disbanded 50 years ago, Jenashu," he reminded her.  
  
"But sir!" Jen protested. "They've had those 50 years to reunite! After all, Crimson was never captured. All the things that have been happening lately happened when the Blood Knights were in power as well, and I don't think it's a coincidence."  
  
For a moment, Jen could've sworn that a satisfied smile much like her own passed Vandar's lips, but the next moment he was frowning sternly again. "If the Blood Knights were back," he said carefully, "the Gold Hawks would be the first to fight them."  
  
"I agree, sir," Jen replied seriously. The unspoken "I'll be the first Gold Hawk to do it," hung in the air.  
  
"If that will be all-" Vandar started. The door to his chamber opened, causing him to fall silent. A beautiful Lilymon flew gracefully in.  
  
"Excuse me, Pro Tamer," the Leader said, giving Jen another salute. She returned it before walking out sadly. However, the frown on her face was nothing, compared to the expression of the short boy standing outside the entrance to Vandar's room.  
  
He looked so miserable that Jen had to ask what was wrong. "Are you alright?"  
  
The boy nodded, and the dim lighting in the hallway to the Leader's Chamber caught his hair. Jen stared. She hardly ever saw anyone with hair that red. When she got over that, Jen realized what the problem was.   
  
"Didn't do so well on your practical exams, huh?" she asked sympathetically. The Lilymon that was now talking to Vandar worked with new potential Gold Hawk Tamers during their practical exam. Each Guard Team gave practical exams to newbies before they could join. Usually they had to locate and destroy a wild Digimon that had continually attacked people.  
  
"No," the boy said softly. Jen felt her heart break for him. She knew how crushed she would have been if she had failed her practical exam four years ago. Mantis, who had been waiting around while Jen spoke with Vandar, came flying towards her. Jen was startled by the look that the boy gave her Digimon. It was the same look that she had given Juunchi's Betamon so long ago.  
  
"How'd it go?" Mantis asked. Jen gave him a look that said "later".  
  
"Don't worry," Jen told the boy. "Naomi-that's the Lilymon-is in there with Vandar now. I bet she's trying to get permission to give you a retest. You'll be able to try the exam again. I'll tell you what to do, if you'd like."  
  
The redhead stared critically at her, as if he was trying to decide whether he could trust her or not. "I knew what to do," he said slowly, "but actually doing it was impossible."  
  
"Ah, choked up, huh?" Mantis asked.  
  
"No, I-" the boy started. Naomi suddenly stepped out of Vandar's room.  
  
"Your retest will take place in three days at nine in the morning. Meet me at the Main Gate then, and don't be late," she said after they all saluted each other. Then she quickly flew away.  
  
"Let's talk at the Tamer's Club, we'll attract less attention," Jen proposed. The boy nodded, so Jen started leading him out of the Gold Hawks HQ. "Oh, and my name's Jenashu Hino. Call me Jen."  
  
"I'm Koushiro Izumi, but I prefer Izzy," the redhead said.   
  
"And I'm Mantis!" the Tentomon added.  
  
"Alright, let's head out," Jen said. "Oh, and it's a pleasure, Izzy."  
  
"Charmed," Izzy replied politely.  
  
"So," Jen started as she sat down at a table in the Tamer's Club, "spill it."  
  
"...Can I ask you something first?" Izzy asked. Jen nodded. "Well...what made you want to become a Gold Hawk?"  
  
Jen blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected that. "Well, I like their ideals. I want to believe that justice exists. What better way than to enforce it?"   
  
"I see," Izzy replied. He was silent for a moment. "All of the Guard Teams are so proud."  
  
"That's right," Jen agreed. Before she stopped herself, she added, "That's why we never finished off the Blood Knights. If we had all joined forces, they never would have been a problem at all. Instead, small groups fought them one at a time, and they got thrashed. Because of the pride of the Guard Teams, Crimson was never captured."  
  
Izzy stared at her. Jen realized that she had said something totally random, as she was prone to do. The redhead cleared his throat.  
  
"About my exam," he said slowly. "I was extremely strange. I was in one of the Digi-Beetles that the Gold Hawks provides for the exams, and I had three Digimon that they let me borrow. As soon as I located Leomon in the Domain, whenever I attempted to use the Digi-Beetle's control panel, I felt something restraining me. It was like someone was pulling my arms back whenever I tried to press a button. Naomi thought I didn't know what to do, and when the Leomon began to advance on us, she hit the Auto Pilot switch, and we were transported back to the Main Gate."  
  
Now Jen was staring at him. "That's the most bizarre thing I've ever heard," Mantis decided.   
  
"What score did you get on your written exam?" Jen asked. Izzy pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it over. Jen couldn't believe her eyes. "WHAT?! A perfect score?! No one's ever gotten a perfect score!" Jen checked the paper again. It was definitely an official one, and it had his name on it.  
  
"Apparently, he has," Mantis stated. Izzy grinned modestly.   
  
"I believe your story," Jen had to admit. "There's a section on Digi-Beetles in the test. Someone who got a perfect score on the test must know how to use one."  
  
"Although it is rather fishy," Mantis reminded her.  
  
"That it is..." Jen trailed off. A look of understanding suddenly flashed across her face. She grabbed a pen from her bag and took Izzy's hand. Briskly she wrote down some numbers. "Look, here's my phone number. I have to go now, so call me sometime before your retest."   
  
Izzy stared at his hand. Apparently he didn't appreciate having it vandalized.  
  
Jen ran off, and Mantis sighed before following her. "Crazy humans," he muttered.  
  
As soon as Mantis had flown into her room, Jen closed the door behind him and snatched a book from her bookcase. After flipping through a few pages, she found what she was looking for and started reading. She looked up at Tentomon and smiled triumphantly.  
  
"Look here," she instructed. Mantis peeked at the book from over her shoulder. Jen cleared her throat and started reading.   
  
"Puppetmon is a powerful mega Digimon. He attacks with the hammer that he always carries. This attack is called Puppet Pummel. Puppetmon loves to play pranks on humans and Digimon, and he has the strange ability to control the movement of his opponents."  
  
"So there was a Puppetmon nearby," Mantis realized. "It was just a coincidence."  
  
"Not likely. The Gold Hawks wouldn't send a complete newbie into a domain that has mega Digimon in it. I think it's the Blood Knights! They liked Virus Digimon the best!" Jen cried.  
  
"Soon you're going to start blaming your clumsiness on them, too," Mantis replied. Jen frowned in frustration.  
  
"No! Really! I bet they heard that Izzy got a perfect score, so they figured he'd be dangerous to them if he became a Guard Tamer, so they sabotaged his exam! Or maybe he has something that they're afraid of. Like his brains! Or maybe they're going to sabotage every exam that all the newbies take from now on, so there won't be any new Guard Tamers! I've gotta call Izzy and warn him!" With that, Jen raced to the phone.  
  
"Um, Jen. You gave him your number, and somehow I don't think that he's going to call you back. You did act kind of weird, suddenly going off about the Blood Knights and all," Mantis pointed out. Jen sighed.  
  
"You think he thinks I'm weird?" she demanded.  
  
"You are weird," the Tentomon said bluntly. Jen frowned.  
  
"Fine!" she shot back. Mantis figured that it would be best to leave her alone for a while.  
  
Three days came and went, and Izzy did not call Jen. However, she still wanted to know how things had turned out, so she visited the Main Gate at noon.   
  
"Hi, Mission Chief Carol!" Jen said brightly to the woman who was in charge of the deployment of the Digi-Beetles. She looked depressed. "What's wrong?"  
  
"This short kid came in for his practical exam today, and his Digi-Beetle just...broke down. I still don't know why. The mechanics are having a lot of trouble figuring it out," Carol replied. Jen gaped at her in horror.  
  
"He failed again? No!" With that, Jen ran out of the Main Gate and headed for HQ. Mantis rolled his eyes before following.  
  
"Naomi! Naomi!" Jen called through the HQ. A little Biyomon called her name.  
  
"I saw her earlier. She went to talk to Leader Vandar, and I haven't seen her since," she supplied.   
  
"Thanks, Sakura!" Jen called. She ran down the familiar, dark hallway.  
  
Jen knocked loudly on the door to Vandar's chambers. It was opened a moment later by Naomi. "It-wasn't-his-fault," she gasped as she caught her breath.  
  
"You certainly are well informed," Vandar said. Jen jumped and saluted. She realized that Izzy was there, too.  
  
"I must say that I've never had a case like this before," the Leader stated. "Someone with a perfect score on the written exam flunking the practical one twice?"  
  
"Leader Vandar! It is possible that the Digi-Beetle was tampered with sometime between its inspection and Izzy's exam!" Jen cried.  
  
"Yes, we have considered that, Pro Tamer Jenashu. Calm down," Vandar replied.  
  
"Sir," Naomi started, "I think that we should have Koushiro Izumi become another Guard Tamer's partner. That way he can sharpen his skills, but not be on his own completely."  
  
"That seems like a good compromise, but who would want a stranger to be their partner? We can't force him on anyone," Vandar stated. Jen frowned. He was talking as if Izzy wasn't sitting right there.   
  
For a long moment, Jen stood in silent thought. If she took Izzy as her partner, she would be spiting the Blood Knights. She would be doing something to fight them. But then, taking him as her partner would change the way she operated forever. Well, at least until the Gold Hawks figured that he was good enough to be on his own. Jen reminded herself that he got a perfect score and he knew what he was doing. Surely he'd prove himself in no time at all.  
  
"I'll do it," she said. Everyone looked at her. "He can be my partner." Izzy stared at her.  
  
"Are you sure?" Vandar asked.  
  
"Yes, sir," Jen replied seriously. There was a silence.  
  
"Well, alright then. Naomi, you make that official. Guard Tamers Jenashu Hino and Koushiro Izumi, here is your first mission...."  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Jen: Boy, that was long! My butt aches!   
  
Yama: Too much info...  
  
Jen: Whatever. Boy, it sure sounds like things will be getting dangerous soon! Actually, the real action starts in the fourth chapter, so stick with me! Read and review, people!  
  
Review Section   
  
Alright. DJ wants to know whether Jen is Izzy's RPG girlfriend or not. I can only say this: huh? Are you asking me whether Jen is the same Jen from my other stories? She is. This is like placing the 01 and 02 Digidestineds in a different world.   
  
Cat asked if the 03 Tamers will be in this. As I said in before, this has nothing to do with season 03, or 04 for that matter. Also, I'm not really sure what you were trying to tell me when you said there are two more stories with the same name as this one. I'm not the only one who's played Digimon World 2, you know.   
  
Keep the reviews coming, everyone! If you want to ask something, go right on ahead! ^^ Till next time! 


	3. A Day in the Life

Disclaimer: I didn't own Digimon or Digimon World 2 last chapter, and guess what? I still don't own either of them! Don't die of shock, now! Heheh^^ Haffa nice day, and don't sue me!  
  
Jen: Hello, everyone! It's been a while!   
  
Yama: Hey.  
  
Jen: I had a nice vacation, but now I'm back! And for all of you who want to keep up with the happenings of Jen-land-  
  
Yama: -in other words, those of you who have, for some unknown reason, been forced into extreme boredom or insanity-  
  
Jen: -YAMA! Rule #1! Never insult my readers!  
  
Yama: I was insulting you, lame brain....  
  
Jen: Yeah, well, that's Rule #2! Anyway! You guys should check out my profile, because I've changed it. Oh, and I've finally completed My Boyfriend's Boxers, which is a HILARIOUS fic that I highly recommend. ^^  
  
Yama: Whatever. I hope you guys are all sitting in comfy seats, because this chapter is ungodly long.  
  
Jen: Well, this is a very special chapter! Why? Because I wrote it during the car ride to the Outer Banks, and by the ocean, and by the poolside, and on the deck...*sigh*   
  
Yama: While she's daydreaming about the beach, I'll start the fic (hopefully before she starts talking again!). Enjoy, people.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
A Day in the Life  
  
"Guard Tamers Jenashu Hino and Koushiro Izumi, here is your first mission...as a team. As you know, new Gold Hawk Tamers receive our mascot, Agumon, as their first Digimon. We need some more. Jenashu Hino, your Digi-Beetle will be updated to a team unit. Your EP will be boosted by 100, and your HP will be booted by 800. Your server will be able to carry 4 more Digimon. Oh, you'll get another seat as well. This will take about 4 hours. I suggest that you get better acquainted."  
  
Izzy and Jen shared quick, unsure glances. Clearly they weren't quite comfortable with each other. They turned to Vandar as one and saluted him before heading for the door.  
  
"Oh, Pro Tamer Jenashu!" the Leader called before Jen closed the door behind her. She poked her head back into the room.  
  
"Sir?' she asked respectfully.  
  
"Do a type-casting on Koushiro Izumi during the mission.  
  
"Yes sir," Jen replied. She retreated to the hallway, gently shutting the door behind her.  
  
"The Tamer's Club?" Izzy suggested.  
  
"The Tamer's Club," Jen agreed.  
  
**********  
  
"Will someone please tell me what happened?" Mantis demanded as he hovered over Jen and Izzy's table.  
  
"I'm not so sure myself," Izzy said with a sigh. He looked seriously at Jen. "Why did you do it?"  
  
"Do what?!" Mantis cried. Jen opened her mouth to go off about the Blood Knights, but caught herself just in time. She searched her mind for something to tell him, but drew a blank. Her lame excuse was that she 'had her reasons'.  
  
"Such as?" Izzy persisted.  
  
"What did she do?" Mantis interjected.  
  
"Look, it didn't seem fair for you to not become a Tamer because of someone messing with your exams. I just wanted to help you out."  
  
"WHAT are you talking about?" Mantis asked frantically.  
  
"What do you mean? Do you think you know who sabotaged the Digi-Beetle I used today?"  
  
"HELLO?! Mantis to Jen! I am alive here! WHAT HAPPENED?!"   
  
Suddenly, a new voice entered the argument. "Could you three keep it down? I can't hear myself sing!" a Palmon shouted from a stage in the corner of the Tamer's Club. She was there all day everyday, just singing and dancing.  
  
"Alright," Jen said, lowering her tone. She turned to the Tentomon to finally acknowledge him. "Mantis, we're a team now."  
  
"We've always been a team," Mantis pointed out.  
  
"No," Jen corrected, nodding her head towards Izzy, "I meant him and me." Mantis stared at her for a moment before falling from the air and crashing into the table.  
  
"EXCUSE me!" the Palmon demanded indignantly.  
  
"Gomen!" Izzy apologized. The plant-like Digimon gave him a dirty look before returning to her song. With a sigh, Izzy slid his eyes from her to Jen. Where they supposed to stare at each other for four hours?  
  
Jen looked a little worried, too. She shifted awkwardly in her seat as Mantis picked himself up from the table. Izzy cleared his throat loudly. Silence fell over them.  
  
"Humans," Mantis complained. "One moment they're shouting at each other, and the next they're annoyingly quiet."  
  
Izzy looked a little insulted, and Jen hastened to explain that her Digimon's manners were a little sub-par. There was another silence after Mantis snorted indignantly.  
  
"Um, look," Jen started, "how about I introduce you to my other Digimon?"  
  
Izzy perked up immediately. "You have more?" he asked.  
  
"Of course! I'd be Digi-food with just Mantis around to back me up."  
  
"I resent that!" Mantis cried as the humans stood up and pushed their chairs in. He followed them grudgingly, loudly counting all of the times that he had pulled Jen's fat out of the fryer.  
  
********  
  
"How about this?" Jen asked as she and Izzy paused outside of the Gold Hawk's HQ. "I'll give you the grand tour."  
  
With that, Jen stepped towards the large, revolving glass door that led into her HQ. It was constantly spinning as people entered and left the building. Mantis sighed deeply; the door was his worst enemy.  
  
"Today," he muttered under his breath, "you are not going to get the best of me, door." Jen laughed, but Izzy looked confused.  
  
"Go on then, Mantis," Jen encouraged her Digimon. After taking a deep breath, the Tentomon flew towards the door.  
  
'Not too fast, now' he thought as he came nearer. 'Don't want to slam into the glass in front of you.' As soon as Mantis saw an opening, he bravely flew into it and tried to hover at just the right speed as the door spun. 'Not too fast, not too fast,' he reminded himself. 'Not-'  
  
"Too slow," Jen grimaced as the glass panel from behind slammed into her Digimon, who slid down it with a loud squeaking sound. Izzy stared.  
  
"A lot of flying Digimon have trouble with that door-HEY! Watch it!" shouted Jen as someone nearly stepped on Mantis.  
  
"Teach your Digimon how to fly right," the person teased as he bent over to pick the Tentomon up. "Eventually we'll be scraping him off the glass with a spatula."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Jen cried, searching her mind for an insult to throw back. "Well, you'd better not put on so much hair gel, or it'll mutate into a freakish, spiky, yellow monster!"  
  
The boy carrying Mantis frowned and consciously reached up to touch his crazy blonde hair. "Whatever. Is that the thanks I get for rescuing your bug?"  
  
"What are you doing in the Gold Hawks HQ? You're a Blue Falcon, Ishida!" Jen pointed out as the blonde boy deposited Mantis into her arms.  
  
"I'm aware of that," he said coolly. "Some of the Blue Falcon Patamon have disappeared. I was asked to help put up posters with pictures of them, and I was supposed to put a few in there." The Ishida boy jerked his spiky head towards the Gold Hawks HQ.   
  
Jen's face flushed from embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry...."  
  
"Whatever," the boy replied. He took a few steps away before turning around again with a sly grin on his handsome face. "Oh, and you'd better be ready to lose at the tournament on Saturday, Pig Tail!" Jen frowned and touched her long plait.   
  
""It's a braid, Yamatrocious!" Jen shouted to his retreating back.   
  
"And we'll kick your sorry excuse for a wig all the way to File Island on Saturday!" Mantis added.  
  
"Hah! Just make sure you get through the door alright!" the blonde called before disappearing around a corner down the street. There was a silence as Jen and Mantis stared after him, breathing deeply.  
  
"Charming boy," Izzy noted with sarcasm gently woven into his words. Both Mantis and his Tamer gave identical snorts of irritation.  
  
"Who is he?" Izzy asked as he carefully walked through the revolving door.   
  
"The biggest jerk in the world," Mantis declared from the safety of Jen's arms. He cast a nervous glance over her shoulder at the glass. "I hate this door...."  
  
"I've picked up on that," Izzy replied as he stepped into the Entrance Hall. Jen joined him a moment later and dragged him away from the door so they could talk.  
  
"He's Yamato Ishida, or Matt. Or Yama, if I'm in a good mood," she said, answering Izzy's question.  
  
"Or Yamatrocious if he's being an idiot," Mantis added. Jen grinned.  
  
"Actually, sometimes he's really cool," Jen allowed. "He tells great jokes, and he plays a mean harmonica, but when I'm around he's usually all attitude."  
  
"Jen's got a cousin called Tai," Mantis continued, "and Matt is his friend (although they've had some nasty arguments before)."  
  
"I see," Izzy said. "This Matt certainly seems to treat you like his friend's little sister, or his cousin in this case."  
  
"Well, we're rivals. Don't look so surprised, everyone who enters tournaments regularly has a rival. If you don't choose one yourself, the people who make the programs give you one to make more money. Anyway...I'm supposed to be giving you a tour. C'mon."  
  
With that, Jen started pointing out and explaining everything. There were four hallways in the Entrance Hall, and three were directly in front of them as the entered. The one to the left led to a Digivolution Center, where DNA Digivolution could take place. The middle hallway led to Vandar's room. Finally, the room to the right led to a comfy sort of room where Gold Hawk Tamers could mingle.   
  
There were a few item vendors in the Entrance Hall and a desk with Sakura behind it, waiting to answer any questions. And, of course, the Guard stood ready at the door, watching for suspicious and unknown individuals. Jen wondered for a moment if he had given Matt a hard time a few minutes ago. Also, a slightly undersized Agumon was walking around and trying to catch bits of information as Tamers conversed all around him.   
  
"That's Hawk, our mascot," Jen explained quietly to Izzy. "He always wants to know what's going on. I know that he'd much rather be at a Domain with a Tamer than prowling around here all day. Poor little guy...."  
  
Jen led Izzy to the fourth hallway and stepped into it. There were many, many doors up and down it, and the hall was very wide and long. Jen pointed to the first large door to her right.  
  
"This leads to a small Digimon hospital. I bet you know about the huge Digimon hospital nearby-this is Digital City, after all-but this one is strictly for Gold Hawk Digimon."  
  
A boy with navy hair and glasses suddenly opened the very door that Jen was pointing at and entered the hallway. His hands were full of paper work. He looked stressed.  
  
"Hi Joe!" Jen called to him with a smile. He barely paused to look up at her.  
  
"Good afternoon," he replied, sounding distracted. Joe continued down the hallway. Izzy stared.  
  
"Is he always so distant?" he asked when Joe was out of earshot. Jen frowned darkly.  
  
"No. I bet he's exhausted. There have been a lot of weird...accidents concerning Gold Hawk Digimon lately. I feel bad for him," she replied. Izzy's eyebrows elevated as Jen and Mantis shared significant looks.  
  
"Why is that?" the redhead inquired.  
  
"Never mind," Jen said. "You wouldn't believe me anyway." Izzy opened his mouth to protest, but Jen cut him off by continuing the tour.  
  
"That room that Joe just went into has got binders upon binders full of information about every Gold Hawk Tamer and Digimon. Health records, tournament results, test results, everything. That one is full of all kinds of supplies, I think. You need a key to get in, so.... There are a few training rooms, and you used to be able to use them at any time, but they same people kept getting up early and staying there all day. Now you have to reserve them, and the waiting lists are horrendous. There's a special training gym on the Gold Hawk's Grounds, which are outside this building, but you have to be at least an Elite Tamer to use them." Jen paused a moment to sigh. "Needless to say, that one's not very busy."  
  
"Aren't you a Rank 4 Pro Tamer?" Izzy asked. Jen nodded. "I thought I heard Vandar address you with that title. Elite Tamers are Rank 7. You're nearly there!"  
  
"Koushiro," Mantis said, sounding exasperated, "you've no idea how hard it is to win an Official Tournament." Izzy looked insulted again, so Jen resumed her tour to take his mind off of it.  
  
"There are also apartments in a separate building where high-ranking Guard Tamers (that's Rank 7 and up) live in times of emergency so that they'll always be at hand. There's also a Digi-Beetle repair shop on the Grounds. Oh, and there are a few meeting rooms in here, and there's another building with handsome rooms where certain events and fundraisers-you know, dinners, dances-are held."  
  
Jen came to a stop in front of one of the doors. "And now I want you to meet my Digimon," she said as she opened it. Izzy gasped in delight.  
  
A gargantuan computer took up almost the entire room, leaving only enough space for about six people to stand. Izzy ran up to it excitedly and whispered, "Wow!" under his breath. Mantis and Jen shared glances.   
  
"Don't you want to see my Digimon?" Jen asked. "You'll have to move. You're blocking the controls."  
  
Izzy blinked at her. "Huh?" he asked. Mantis rolled his eyes.   
  
"My Digimon," Jen repeated.  
  
"Oh," Izzy murmured, not taking his eyes off of the huge monitor. "Yes." He stepped aside, allowing Jen to reach the keys. She rapidly pressed a series of buttons before stopping and announcing that she was done. Izzy looked around.  
  
"Um, where...?" he asked.  
  
Mantis sighed and Jen smiled. "I take it you've never seen a Whamon," she said.  
  
"You've got a Whamon?" Izzy asked, his eyes widening.  
  
"No," Mantis buzzed in his funny accent. "It's a figure of speech. She's trying to say that it wouldn't be smart to upload Digimon into this room. We'd be squished. They're outside."  
  
"Ah," Izzy muttered, feeling very stupid. The sight of the magnificent computer had slowed down his thinking process significantly. "So, um, let's move on, shall we?"  
  
"Indeed," Mantis replied, clearly unimpressed with the redhead's apparent lack of critical thinking skills. Izzy turned away in embarrassment, but made a promise to himself to prove his genius to the Vaccine Digimon.  
  
Jen led the others out into the hallway and opened a door at its end. She smiled as she ushered Izzy through the doorway and into the daylight, eager to see his reaction to her Digimon. She wasn't disappointed.  
  
Four Digimon were grouped together under an ancient weeping willow, beaming at the sight of their Tamer. Izzy stared at them, one at a time, with an amazed look on his face. His eyes first came to rest on a Digimon that was built like a human and stood about eight inches taller than Izzy. It was clad in a strange hat, a dark cloak, a yellow jumpsuit, and brown gloves and boots. It carried a long wooden staff. This was clearly Wizardmon, a Champion-level Data Digimon. Next, Izzy noticed a Piximon, a cute pink pom pom with wings. The short redhead knew that Piximon was an Ultimate Data-type. Soon, another less welcome Digital Monster caught Koushiro's attention.  
  
"Etemon," he said darkly. "A Virus Digimon."  
  
"Gotta problem with that, Small Stuff?" the Etemon demanded. Izzy frowned and turned to Jen.  
  
"What happened to fighting for justice?" he asked. Jen's face darkened.  
  
"Virus Digimon are not evil. I've seen as many corrupted Data and Vaccine Digimon as I have Virus ones," she stated. Izzy didn't look convinced at all.  
  
"We do tend to have some nasty attitudes, though, Carrot Top," Etemon informed him, chuckling as though he was proud of that fact.  
  
Izzy didn't reply to him. Instead, he stared at the fourth Digimon and gasped. He had never seen a Digimon like it before. At first glance it resembled a floating pink dolphin, sleek and shiny. If you looked at it longer, however, you'd notice the leafy fins and the flowery 'ears'. It hovered about four feet from the ground, making mysterious, bell-like noises from within its 'ears' every time it moved.  
  
A moment later, Izzy realized that Jen was explaining his presence to her Digimon. He tore his eyes away from the unknown Digimon to listen to her speech. "This is Koushiro Izumi, everyone. He's...." Jen paused nervously. "He's my partner now."  
  
There was an uproar. The dolphin-like Digimon made a series of high-pitched squeaking sounds, which were totally impossible for Izzy to understand. The Etemon was shouting about not wanting to work with a "Virus-hating Carroty Shrimp," and the Piximon was excitedly talking about a training routine for Izzy to undergo. Only the Wizardmon remained silent, although his surprise was plainly evident.   
  
Jen was sighing and she looked like she had expected this reaction. The noise continued for a solid three minutes before the Pro Tamer pulled a whistle out of her pocket and put it to her lips. She took a long, deep breath and Izzy hastily covered his ears, but he didn't hear a thing as Jen blew into it as hard as she could.  
  
The Digimon, however, crammed their fingers (if the possessed any) into their ears and winced heavily. Clearly it was a whistle that only Digimon could hear. When Jen ran out of air and lowered the little noise-maker from her lips, silence had been completely restored.   
  
"Now," Jen started as if she had never been interrupted, "I'll explain the whole thing later. Right now I think we should have some introductions."  
  
There was a pause. Jen gently elbowed Izzy to make him begin. "Oh! Well," he nervously said as the Digimon stared at him, "um...." Suddenly he remembered his promise to prove himself to his new teammates, especially Mantis and Jen, and his voice strengthened. "My name is Koushiro Izumi. Please call me Izzy. I'm twelve years old, and-"  
  
Jen gasped loudly. She thought that Izzy was ten tops, given his height. The short person in question ignored her and continued his speech.  
  
"And I hope...we can make a prodigious team." Izzy distinctly heard Etemon give a disgusted snort. The Digimon didn't look too impressed with him. Jen cast a worried look at them.   
  
Just when Izzy was sure that none of them were going to respond, the Wizardmon spoke up for the first time. "I am Revien," he said. "It's a pleasure."  
  
Jen gave him a pleased look, and he gave a small nod in return as the Piximon flew in front of Izzy's face. "I'm Puru! Puru Puru! We'll get along just fine, yep yep...after some training!" he said energetically.  
  
"Training...?"   
  
"Yes, training! Cleaning floors, washing windows, untangling balls of yarn-"  
  
A sharp, high-pitched squeak cut Puru off. The Dolphin Digimon was attempting to speak, but all that came out were squeals and squeaks, which were joined by the jingling of several bells whenever she moved.   
  
"She's says 'I'm Galemon'," Mantis translated. Izzy looked confused.  
  
"I've never seen-" he started. Jen waved her hand to silence him.  
  
"She's a unique Digimon. I'm pretty sure that he's the only one of her kind," she explained.  
  
"Digimon understand her, and Jen does too. But most humans don't seem to quite catch what she's saying," Mantis added. "Her name's Tochiko."  
  
The Etemon, who had remained silent since his last outburst, could contain himself no longer. "Why do we have to work with a stunted dwarf?!" he demanded.  
  
"Elvis!" Jen scolded. "Be nice to Izzy!"  
  
"Why?! He obviously has no skills as a Tamer. I can tell he's a newbie, and he's tiny, too," Elvis protested. "I bet he wants to leech off of us like a puny little parasite!"   
  
"That's enough, Elvis!" Jen said commandingly. She could practically see steam rising from Izzy's ears, giving her the impression that his head was on fire.   
  
"Alright everyone," the Pro Tamer started. "We're all acquainted, so now we can get serious."  
  
Izzy noticed that the five Digimon had formed a ring around their Tamer, assuring her safety. They all seemed to be carefully absorbing every word she said, and the redhead could tell that her orders had saved at least one of the Digimon's lives at some point. It was then that the new Tamer realized that he had disturbed this team. From what he could tell, they all cared about each other, including the temperamental Elvis. The Digimon were happy as they were and they didn't need or want him around. Jen's voice brought him back from his reverie.   
  
"...so now you know about that. Anyway, Vandar's given us a mission. It's...well, it's depressingly simple."  
  
"That would be his fault," Elvis said coolly, nodding jerkily towards Izzy. "The Big Boss didn't wanna overwhelm the little newbie, so now we're stuck doing a baby mission. Thank you, thank you very much for wasting our time, kiddy."  
  
"Elvis!" Jen cried sharply. "Cut the cracks!" The Etemon cringed slightly and fell silent, although he continued giving Izzy dirty and malicious looks. "As I was saying, we have to get some Agumon to give to new Gold Hawk Guard Tamers."  
  
"That's it?" Elvis asked. "We're just gonna beat up on some weakling Rookies? That's it! The King is leaving the building!"  
  
"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Jen said with a sigh. "I need as much room on my server as I can get, anyway. The more Agumon we bring Vandar, the more we get paid."  
  
Izzy watched Elvis stalk angrily towards the Gold Hawks Entrance Hall with relief. He definitely didn't need a nasty Virus Digimon breathing down his neck during his first mission. "C'mon," Jen said to the redhead. "We've gotta go to the Main Gate."  
  
***********  
  
"Hey, Chief Carol!" Jen called as the blonde woman came into view. "How's my Digi-Beetle? We're a little early."  
  
"Oh, it's all ready," replied Carol. "The mechanics always pull through for Tamers that they bet on!" She stared at Izzy but said nothing.  
  
"What's this about betting?" Izzy asked.  
  
"She means in the tournaments. You know, people bet on the Tamer that they think will win the tournament. It's kinda like how people bet on Unimon races," Mantis supplied.   
  
"Right! Saturday's a tourney day! We'll have to train, yep yep!" Puru Puru pointed out.  
  
"Is it an Official Tournament?" Izzy inquired. Whoever won an Official Tournament got a raise of rank. Unofficial Tournaments were fought for prizes and rich rewards.  
  
"Nah, it's just a regular one," Jen replied.  
  
"We never miss an opportunity to teach Yamato Ishida a lesson, yep yep!" Puru gleefully said. Jen laughed, clearly agreeing with him. Carol cleared her throat.  
  
"You are here to go on a mission, right?" she asked. Jen blinked at her.  
  
"Oh! Oh, yeah! Where's my Digi-Beetle?" Carol pointed to a red-and-purple Digi-Beetle. "Right. Thanks chief!"   
  
Jen ran to her vehicle and smiled as she stopped in front of it. Her expression soon changed as she saw the new seat that had been installed. Izzy understood; the extra seat was physical proof that her career as a Guard Tamer had dramatically changed. Jen got over it quickly. Soon she was climbing into the driver's seat and turning the key in the ignition. Her Digi-Beetle instantly sprang to life. Its headlights flashed and eyes appeared in them, and it honked in a friendly way. Izzy realized with a start that the Digi-Beetle was greeting its owner.  
  
"How do you feel, Quest?" Jen asked. "Different?" The vehicle's headlights flickered as if it was saying "Yes!"  
  
"This is my new partner, Izzy Izumi," Jen said, pointing towards him. The car turned to face the person in question before honking hello.  
  
"H-hi," Izzy shakily replied. He knew that Digi-Beetles were practically alive, but this was more than he had bargained for!  
  
"Hop in!" Jen suggested with a smile. "It's time for our first mission!"   
  
"Right," Izzy agreed a he climbed (with some difficulty due to his height) into the seat besides Jen.  
  
"Revien." Jen simply stated as she held her finger above a button. The Wizardmon nodded, and she pressed the button, causing a flap to open near the front of the Digi-Beetle. Izzy gasped as Revien's form turned into a graph of sorts. In a flash of green light, Revien disappeared.  
  
"I downloaded him into Quest's server," Jen explained to him, laughing at his shocked expression. "I don't download Tochiko, Mantis, and Puru because they can fly. Well, so can Revien, but he gets tired after a while, so...."  
  
Jen looked down at Quest. "Okay, buddy! We're going to the SCSI Domain! Let's hit the road!" The Digi-Beetle started rolling out of the Main Gate's large entrance with no help from Jen. Izzy stared. Was the steering wheel just for show?  
  
"Why not drive it?" he asked as Quest cruised onto the road.   
  
"I can't drive it outside of Domains until I've got my driver's license," Jen replied dully as the wind whipped her hair around. "Until then it's got its own navigation program. They say a Digi-Beetle using the program will never get lost or crash."  
  
The two Tamers traveled together aboard Quest in casual conversation. Soon, however, the weather and the latest news had been picked apart and a silence feel between them. Jen suppressed a loud sigh with difficulty and wished that she had some idea of what to talk about. She was very relieved when Quest rolled off of the road and headed down the familiar wild path to the SCSI Domain.  
  
This Domain was underground, so Quest rolled onto the warp panel that would take them to the top level. Izzy seemed very excited as he looked around the dungeon-like interior. "Remember the most important rule of going to Domains," Jen advised him. "NEVER get off your Digi-Beetle under ANY circumstances. There are all sorts of traps that could blow you up...or worse. The ancients who built the Domains sure knew what they were doing."  
  
Izzy nodded, and something immediately caught his eye. He nudged Jen and pointed to a Biyomon. "We'll leave it be unless it attacks us," Jen whispered. "We're after Agumon."  
  
Jen looked down at a counter by the control panel. "Look at this," she said. "We've started draining EP, our energy points. We need to use the auto pilot if we're about to run out of EP, or else we'll have to cough up 1,000 bits for a new engine. The same goes for Quest's HP, or health points."  
  
Jen and Izzy traveled in the Domain in silence. Jen had taken the wheel and was steering Quest down narrow hallways that opened into large rooms surrounded by stone walls and floors. Izzy felt his excitement and his nervousness welling up inside him as they turned every corner. He was a Tamer on a mission. A simple mission, but what the heck.  
  
"Oh!" he cried as an orange tail caught his eye. No less than six Agumon were crowded together. Jen grabbed a blue gun that was attached to the front of Quest and started loading what looked like CD players into it.  
  
"This is a shooter gun!" Jen explained as she took aim. The Agumon were charging at her, but her Digimon weren't retaliating yet. "Release Revien for me, Izzy!" Izzy did as he was told while trying to watch Jen shoot a CD player at each Agumon in turn. The Agumon all caught their CD players, and expressions of delight passed their orange faces. Now Jen's Digimon attacked.  
  
"Thunder ball!" Revien shouted. An orange orb materialized in his hand, and he threw it at the nearest Agumon. His fellow teammates were attacking as well.   
  
"Psy bomb!" Puru cried.  
  
"Super shocker!" Mantis attacked. Tochiko did a quick spin in mid-air, and cherry blossom petals sliced into an Agumon like small knives. Jen watched the battle calmly, but Izzy looked tense, even though he knew six rookies couldn't dream of taking on Puru, an Ultimate Digimon, let alone a Champion and two Rookies as well.   
  
Fire and lightening flashed through the air, aided by bombs and petals, unleashing deafening exploding sounds and raising dust from the floor. Izzy was unable to keep up with what was happening, but a moment later all was still. The six Agumon were sprawled out on the floor, and Jen's Digimon returned to their post behind the Digi-Beetle. Slowly the largest Agumon, who was consequently the leader, rose to its clawed feet and walked cautiously up to Quest.  
  
Izzy stared at it. "Why is it coming near?" he asked.  
  
"This was on the test, Izzy," Jen reminded him.   
  
"Yes," Izzy replied, "but seeing it in action is a little different."  
  
Jen sighed. "Well," she said, "the first thing you have to do is give them a gift to interest them. After they get the gift, they want to fight you. I'm not really sure why, but they do. Next, you have to impress them with your Digimon's strength. Wild Digimon fight for their positions, so it's natural that they give in to the stronger warrior. So, now these Agumon want to join my team."   
  
With that, Jen hit the button that opened the panel that Wizardmon had gone into earlier. All six Agumon were transported inside it to Quest's server in a flash on green light. "I've got room for ten Digimon in Quest's server after that upgrade it got earlier. I need to save some room for Revien, so I can hold three more Agumon. So, let's go find them!"  
  
Jen pointed to the corner of the room. "Look, a warp panel," she pointed out. A large white panel was positioned where the Pro Tamer was indicating, giving off a faint blue glow. "If we drive onto that, we'll be transported to the next level."  
  
She turned the steering wheel in her hands, and Quest moved towards the warp panel. It had barely moved three feet, however, when a loud explosion sounded from beneath its tires. Izzy and Jen were nearly thrown off of the car as it rocked violently. When the cloud of dust that had risen finally fell, Izzy slowly released his tight grip on the handle bar in front of him.   
  
"A land mine?" he asked. Jen nodded grimly.  
  
"It must have been powerful. My trap locater didn't pick it up," she said. Izzy glanced at the HP counter and gasped.   
  
"We've lost half of our health," he reported uneasily. "Are you alright, Quest?" The Digi-Beetle honked its horn feebly. "Maybe we should use the auto pilot...."  
  
"No," Jen replied. "We're still alright. Now let's find three more Agumon."   
  
Izzy wasn't sure about the logic of continuing, but he didn't argue the point with his partner. Quest stepped onto the warp, and they descended to the next level down. The first thing that caught Izzy's attention was a large, yellow pillar. The next thing he noticed was a section of yellow...stuff on the floor in a corner.   
  
"So that's what an electro-spore looks like!" Izzy stated. "If you touch those, damage is dealt to your Digi-Beetle, right?"   
  
"Right. But if they're in the way, they can be destroyed with magnetic missiles," Jen replied. "And see that yellow stuff on the floor? It's acid. Don't drive over it unless you've bought special tires. Also, I bet you didn't see that black spot on the floor."  
  
"Is that a bug nest?" Izzy asked. Jen nodded. "Can you tell what kind it is?"  
  
"Nope. Could be the kind that steals a Digi-Beetles health or energy, or it may attack Digimon. It's best not to find out."  
  
Eventually Jen and Izzy got three more Agumon, and they would've continued to search the Domain, but....  
  
"Look! A treasure chest!" Jen cried gleefully. "Let's open it." An arm extended from the side of the Digi-Beetle and it reached for the chest. "That arm tries to disarm any traps that are on the treasure chest."  
  
A moment later the chest popped open, but it unleashed an explosion on Quest. Izzy was thrown from his seat. Revien luckily caught him before he touched the dungeon floor.   
  
"Izzy," Jen said as Revien lowered him into his seat, "are you alright? Good. Listen, we've only got 100 HP left after that. We've gotta use the auto pilot. Let's get out of here."  
  
**********  
  
Izzy and Jen walked into Vandar's room a half hour later and saluted him respectfully. "Sir," Jen started as she stepped forward, "we've brought back nine Agumon."  
  
"Nine?" Vandar asked. "Impressive. Now, I believe that your expenses were 250 Bits per Digimon for the CD players you undoubtedly used. I believe that totals 2,250 Bits. Am I correct?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Izzy immediately replied.   
  
"Alright then," Vandar said. "Your payment will be 5,000 Bits."  
  
"Thank you, sir," Jen said as Vandar gave her the payment.   
  
"Have you fulfilled your second mission yet?" he asked her quietly.  
  
"No, sir," Jen whispered. "I need more time to get to know him."   
  
"Very well, but do decide quickly. Good day."  
  
The partners saluted him and exited his room. Jen turned to Izzy. "So," she said, "I get 2,250 Bits to pay for the CD players. That leaves...uh...."  
  
"2,750 Bits. That means we each get 1,375 Bits," Izzy informed her, holding out his hands to accept his reward.   
  
"That's not as much as it seemed like it'd be," Jen said with a sigh.   
  
"I can't complain," Izzy responded. "I never realized how much money was involved in this." Jen shrugged.  
  
"Once you start upgrading your Digi-Beetle, you begin to wish that Vandar had given you a lot more than what you got," Mantis buzzed. "It's not cheap."  
  
"Amen," Jen muttered. There was another silence.   
  
"Well," Izzy started.  
  
"Yes, I guess we're done for the day," Jen finished. "Um, I'll need your address...and your e-mail...and you're phone number," she added awkwardly. Izzy obliged her.  
  
"So," he said when they were finished.   
  
"Yeah, see ya," Jen replied, walking towards the revolving door. The Tentomon gave another brave attempt at conquering it. "Mantis-Mantis, be carefu-oooh, that must've hurt-"  
  
As Jen made her way home (carrying an unconscious Tentomon), an unpleasant thought found its way into her head. 'My parents aren't gonna be happy when I tell them that my new partner is some guy that I've never met....'  
  
'Darn Blood Knights, getting me into so much trouble...!'  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Jen: Ooooh, I don't think I'll ever be able to feel my butt again!   
  
Yama: Once again, too much info!  
  
Jen: *sigh* I'm sorry if it got kinda dumb towards the end. I was so eager to just finish the darn chapter that I kinda rushed the last few pages. Guess what? According to the typing program I'm using, if I printed this out it'd be 16 pages long! That's gotta be a record (for me, at least)!!!!!!!  
  
Yama: Wonderful.  
  
Jen: Well, guess what everyone? Next chapter the story finally gets interesting! You've all made it through the boring explanatory chapters! Yahoo! In the next chapter, four more years pass and, um...let me check my notes...  
  
Yama: *holds up a sign that says "Be right back"*   
  
Jen: Ah, the next chapter won't be as long, which is good for me! Um, the Blood Knights turn up in the flesh in the next chapter, which is titled Return of the Blood Knights! The storyline has been introduced, and now the fun begins! So stick with me, everyone! Till later days! 


	4. The Return of the Blood Knights

Legal Crap (Disclaimer): Newsflash!!! I don't own Digimon or Digimon World 2! I own Jenashu, of course. And Galemon in all her forms! But other than that.... Anyways, haffa nice day, and don't sue me!  
  
Jen: I know it's been forever. I've been horridly busy with school (I'm a freshman in high school now! I bet you thought I was older!) And now I'm in a play! So my updates will be few and far between. So sorry! You'll probably get sick of checking my bio, but I think author alert is a free service now!  
  
Yama: You can always ask her to e-mail you in your review if you want her to do the honors.  
  
Jen: Yeah, I'll do that. Anyway, I'm so glad that I'm doing this chapter. No more explaining stuff!   
  
Yama: Except Japanese.  
  
Jen: Oh, that's right. I'm introducing some Japanese stuff into the story now. After all, Anime is Japanese animation.   
  
Yama: Not that this story takes place in Japan.  
  
Jen: Well, no. I doubt that there's a Monitor Village and a Digital City in Japan. But I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, this story can be in Japan. Do you really care?  
  
Yama: Anyway.  
  
Jen: Right. I really want to post because it's been so long, so onto the story! Enjoy and R&R!!!!  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Return of the Blood Knights  
  
Jen panted and gasped as she ran as fast as her feet would carry her towards her high school. She was a sophomore now, and she was determined to make it to school on time. Being late was not a great way to impress her teachers.  
  
Like most Japanese schools, Jen's was fenced in. Her feet moved even faster as the entrance gate to Odaiba High came into view. Triumphantly, she ran through it, patting herself on the back for making it on time. She had only taken a few steps after that when a loud bell went off. It was followed by the sound of the heavy gate being pulled shut. Although she knew she was safe, Jen couldn't help looking over her shoulder to make sure that she was inside the fence.  
  
The sixteen-year-old girl had to clamp her lips together to keep from laughing. A tall boy with eyes and hair that were the same chocolate color as Jen's was outside the gate and a teacher was reprimanding him in a loud, shrill voice. Jen could tell that he was tuning out and nodding his bushy head at appropriate intervals, probably wondering how he had managed to sleep through his alarm again. With a start Jen realized that she shouldn't be standing around watching him, so she gathered her remaining breath and headed towards the school building.  
  
Jen walked into the genkan (A/N: Japanese people don't wear shoes inside. A genkan is a place where they take their shoes off and leave them until it's time to go. In a home it's a space right as you walk into the door, and it's a little bit lower than the rest of the floor. In a school, a genkan is a big room full of small shoe lockers. When they get to school they take off their outdoor shoes and wear the indoor shoes in the lockers. They change shoes again at the end of the day. I think there's a genkan in the first episode of the second Digimon series. TK and Kari are talking and Yolei brings Kari an e-mail or something) and paused a moment as if she was trying to remember something. She snapped her fingers when whatever she had forgotten came back to her, and she strode up to a section of small shoe lockers. Her fingers started to shake a little as she fished a note out of her pocket and brought it up to one of the three slits in the door of one of the lockers. The teenager faltered before she was able to push it through. With a sigh of frustration, she gathered her courage and tried again, but she lost her nerve.  
  
The sophomore might have struggled with the note for quite a while if the door to the genkan hadn't slammed shut. Jen looked up in alarm and hurried quietly to her own locker as the boy who had been scolded at the gate walked in.  
  
"Hey," he said as he caught sight of her. "Guess you just made it, huh?"   
  
"Guess you just missed it, eh?" Jen replied. "Snoozed through your alarm again, oh my cousin?"   
  
"That's about the size of it," the young man affirmed. "What are you still doing here, anyway?"  
  
Jen scanned her mind for something to tell him. She grabbed the lock on the handle of her locker. "I forgot my combination." The boy laughed.  
  
"We're so predictable. You can count on me to sleep through my wake-up call, and I can count on you to forget life's little details,"  
  
"Stuff it, Tai," Jen said with a grin as she opened her lock. "Aha! I got it." She pulled open the door, pulled out her indoor shoes, and kicked off her sneakers.   
  
"Alright," Tai said when she had put her indoor shoes on and placed the others away. "Let's hit our room." With that, the cousins power-walked to their classroom. Before they made it there, Tai got a good look at Jen's face. He frowned darkly.   
  
"You okay? You look like you got hit by a bus," he commented.  
  
"I'm kinda tired," Jen replied as she rubbed her eyes. Tai raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Fine, I'm exhausted." It was true. Jen had been working like crazy to perform her ever-increasing duties as a Tamer. "Vandar's been working my butt off."  
  
"That's no good," Tai replied seriously as his fingers closed around the doorknob to their room. "You're gonna need that to sit down, you know." Jen sighed and whacked his head softly.  
  
"Mr. Yagami, Miss Hino. You're late," pointed out the woman behind the desk.   
  
"Mrs. Shisaki, I'm sorry," Tai apologized. "I was late, but Jen wasn't. She just forgot her locker combination for a while."  
  
"Sorry, Ma'am," Jen added as a few people snickered.  
  
"Make sure you write that down somewhere, Miss Zircona," Mrs. Shisaki advised curtly. Jen bowed and took her seat near the back of the room, and Tai collapsed into the one behind her. On Tai's right sat none other than Yamato Ishida, whom was staring at a pretty girl in the middle of the room named Sora Takenouchi. Sora was pretty, there could be no denying that, but the girl next to her was truly glamorous. Mimi Tachikawa was the jewel of the sophomore class. Izzy was there, too. He had nearly doubled his height over the last four years, but he was still rather short and was thus seated at the front of the room. His head was cushioned by his arm on the desk, and he looked like he was asleep. A humongous book that he was halfway through lay forgotten by his head as he tried to rest.   
  
A girl with light brown hair and green eyes was seated to Izzy's left. She was flipping through papers in a folder labeled 'Tera'. On a sudden impulse, Tera looked over her shoulder at Jen. The Gold Hawk had changed a bit. She was taller and slimmer, with a perfectly straight smile thanks to the braces that she had worn a few years ago. She now wore contacts instead of glasses, and her hair had grown so that it reached down to lay about four inches above the butt that Vandar was working off of her. And of course, the straight body of a twelve-year-old had significantly evolved into the hour glassed shape of a sixteen-year-old.  
  
Tera frowned when she saw that Jen's face was buried in her crossed arms. She looked from Jen to Izzy and realized why they were so drained. Undoubtedly they had been working diligently. Far too diligently. For now they made a magnificent team. Once they had gotten over their initial awkwardness they had become best friends. Jen's amiable nature allowed her to win the affections of the Digimon, and she made an excellent trainer because they did whatever she told them to. Izzy was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge, and he knew a lot about Digimon, despite his first impression. He was also skilled at battle strategies. Their teamwork allowed them to rise in the ranks, and Jen was now a Rank 8 Commander Tamer. Izzy had hit rank 7, Elite Tamer. Vandar had given him permission to separate from Jen and work on his own almost three years ago, but they got along so well that it seemed like a waste to drop their teamwork. Needless to say, Izzy had proven his genius to Jen and Mantis, just as he had vowed to.  
  
Although the partners in question were drained, they had to raise their heads when Mrs. Shisaki left the classroom and their math teacher walked in (A/N: In Japan the teachers come to the students, who stay in the same room all day. How convenient for them. I have to go up four floors like four times a day.) He began his lesson in his dull voice, driving even the sharp-witted Izzy into a stupor. The redhead's mind was completely blank and his eyelids were unmercifully heavy. He fought valiantly to ward off the strong bout of lethargy that had overcome him, and he would have failed if a loud cracking sound hadn't jolted him back into the world around him.  
  
The aged math teacher had rapped his ruler on Jen's desk because she had fallen asleep. Izzy turned around to see her slowly raise her head up. He watched the teacher do a double take when he saw Jen's exhausted expression. A rare grandfather-type look flashed across the instructor's face as he suggested to Jen that she should visit the health room.  
  
"Sir," Tera said as she raised her hand, "I think Izzy should go to."  
  
"Izzy?" the old man asked, blinking.  
  
"Koushiro Izumi, sir," Tai explained, knowing that the old math teacher wouldn't be familiar with the nicknames of the students.  
  
"Yes," he said when he saw Izzy's face. "Yes, you should both go." The two of them didn't have the strength to argue, so they headed out of the room together.  
  
The nurse fussed over them at the health room. "Tsk! Children weren't meant to be worked like this! I strongly suggest that you put your school career over your Taming one. Don't look surprised, of course I know that you're Tamers. I saw you on TV Saturday. My little daughter is your biggest fan. She was jumping and shouting when you won, you know." Somehow the nurse was able to rant on and on without stopping for breath. She was obviously a talker. "Oh, my! When was the last time the two of you got a full night's sleep?"  
  
Jen and Izzy shared quick glances. They admitted that they couldn't remember the last time that they had sleep a full eight hours.   
  
"That's unforgivable! Mr. Izumi, you're starting a cold, I think. And you're on the verge of collapsing, Miss Hino. You two just lay down," the nurse pointed towards three futons in the corner of the room, "and get some rest. You need it."  
  
Jen wasted no time in crawling into bed, but Izzy still had the presence of mind to wonder how many sick teens had rested there before him. His only comforts were health regulations and the fact that the nurse fussed over her charges so much. He too settled down in the mattress.  
  
A loud hacking sound woke Izzy up a while later. A freshman was sitting in a seat a few feet away and making sounds like a seal as he coughed violently. Izzy rolled onto his other side to turn away from the sick student. Unfortunately, the nurse saw his movement.  
  
"Oh, good," she said, "you're awake. How do you feel?"  
  
"I'm confident that I'm capable of remaining alert for the rest of the day," Izzy assured her as he slowly got to his feet. He started to make the bed, but the nurse stopped him.   
  
"I'll get that. You wake up Miss Hino. Your lunch period's about to start."  
  
Izzy roused Jen, and they thanked the nurse before heading outside to eat and enjoy the nice weather. They hadn't gone far when they were hailed by a familiar voice.  
  
"Hey, you two!" Matt called when Jen and Izzy came into his sight. The partners walked towards him and the group around him-Tai, Tera, Sora, and Mimi-so they could eat together.   
  
"Feeling better?" the blonde asked teasingly. "Ol' Vandar keeping ya on your toes?" Jen inhaled deeply.  
  
"Matt, I know we're rivals, but we're friends too," she pointed out. "Somehow."  
  
"Oh, I know," Matt grinned.   
  
"The more he likes you, the more he teases you," Sora explained. Matt snorted.  
  
Tai rolled his eyes. "Seriously, though," he said, "how are you two feeling?"  
  
"I'll live. Izzy?"  
  
  
  
"I'm alright for now," he answered.  
  
"Taming," Tera observed, "will be the death of you two."  
  
"If falling asleep on a road or something isn't," Matt added with a smirk.   
  
"Just shut up and eat, Yamatrocious," Jen scolded. Matt smirked and bit into a rice cracker.   
  
When the bell that signaled the end of lunch rang, Jen and the others hurried back to their room. Jen heard a sudden clinking sound, and with a start she realized that she had dropped her portable digivolution ray/server, commonly known as a digivice. They were ungodly expensive, but Vandar had awarded a new model to Jen and Izzy after a highly complex and insanely difficult mission. This palm-sized piece of technology had the ability to actually store a Digimon inside, and it also produced a digivolution-inducing ray.   
  
In her hurry to pick the digivice up before it got stepped on, Jen's skirt snagged on the corner of a desk, and the note that she had almost slipped inside someone's locker that morning jerked out of her pocket and fluttered to the floor. Izzy, being a gentleman, picked it up and offered it to her.   
  
"Here," he said with a smile, "you dropped this." Jen stared at him, and her face turned a dark shade of red. Izzy gave her a puzzled look, and his gaze traveled over her shoulder. The redhead noticed that a guy was staring at Jen with an unpleasant smirk plastered on his lips. In a quick motion, Izzy unsnagged Jen's skirt. The boy frowned darkly at him.  
  
Despite all of that, Jen's attention still seemed to be focused on the note. She reached out and tore it desperately from his hand before scurrying to her seat. The slightly undersized redhead stared after her with a baffled expression on his face.  
  
The confusion that Izzy was suffering from was nothing compared to the pandemonium that broke out just a few moments later. Loud bells began to ring urgently, but they weren't signaling a fire drill. The piercing tones were called The Tamer Distress Signal. Thus, all of the Tamers that belonged to a Guard Team briskly stood up and rushed to the cafeteria, leaving their peers in anxious concern and fear.  
  
"Are we all here?" the school's principal asked on a microphone as the Tamers assembled before him. "Stand still," he demanded as he proceeded to count heads. "Alright. Apparently Drive City is under attack by Digimon of unknown origins. Your Digi...whatsits...the car things..."  
  
"Digi-Beetles, sir," Tai called. The headmaster nodded grimly.  
  
"Digi-Beetles, then. They're on there way here with your strongest Digimon uploaded into them. As soon as they arrive, you are urged to depart to Drive City. Good luck, and be careful!" The last words of his speech had barely finished reverberating before everyone tried to get out of the cafeteria at once. "In an orderly fashion, if you will! Come on now, show some sense!"  
  
The Guard Tamers ignored him and continued to wrestle each other to get out to the parking lot. Finally all of them made it to the blacktop; there weren't too many of them, after all. Being a Guard Tamer required more time, patience, dedication, effort, and energy than most teenagers possessed. Also, becoming a Guard Tamer meant being one for life, so many young people were hesitant to make the commitment (or their parents refused to allow them to.) There were, however, many regular Tamers who kept Digimon for their own purposes.  
  
As it was, there were about thirty Guard Tamers gathered together on the parking lot. Jen gazed at the group and matched faces with names in an attempt to ward off the sense of dread that was overcoming her. As usual, she was one of the only ones who could remain calm during a crisis. She shook her head as a freshman close to her began to boast.  
  
"I've been waiting for something like this to happen," he coolly explained to the other freshmen as he nodded his head knowingly. "I've been training my team. I'm glad for a chance to give them a challenge!"  
  
"Then you're a fool," a smooth, low voice told him. The sexy voice's owner was a gorgeous blonde junior named Garu Sayoe. He had baby blue eyes and fine, soft hair.   
  
"People are suffering right at this moment," he continued. "They're dying and losing everything. And you're glad that it's happening." Garu gave a disgusted snort and turned away. "You tarnish the name of Guard Tamers everywhere."  
  
Jen tried to block out her friend as he scolded the idiotic boy. She hated to hear him when he was upset; his feelings flowed into her and became her own. She continued her mental attendance in an attempt to ignore him. Izzy's here, she thought. There's Tai, Tera, and Sora. The Gold Hawk sophomores. Good ol' Matt, he'll fight to the end, the jerk. There aren't many Blue Falcons like him. Then there are the freshmen.... Lily just became a Gold Hawk. We're cousins alright, Taming's in our blood. Matt's kid brother's a Blue Falcon, too. TK, right? And then there's that famous genius kid, Ken Ichi-something. I think that girl's name is Indy, and the short one is Ryn. She seems too nice to be a Black Sword, but Indy's got the traditional Black Sword sarcasm. There're two more freshmen left. Argh, who are they? Ah, umm.... Vi and Casey, Blue Falcons.  
  
Before Jen could start categorizing the upper classmen, Quest pulled up to the sidewalk and honked loudly. Izzy and Jen waved good-bye to the remaining Tamers before hopping aboard. Izzy turned off the navigation program in order to put his new driver's license to use (A/N: No, I don't know the Japanese driver's license laws. Work with me.)   
  
"Unknown origins my butt," Jen scoffed when Quest had rolled off of the parking lot.  
  
"Still on about the Blood Knights?" Mantis asked as he hovered above Jen's head; Izzy had released him from his Digivice. Jen had given the cheeky Digimon to Izzy a few weeks after they had become partners because of Vandar's command to her. "Do a type-casting on Koushiro Izumi," he had ordered.  
  
Type-casting was a complicated system that Vandar had invented after an Agumon turned on its Tamer. It was obvious then that many Guard Tamers could benefit from having a Digimon that suited their personality, especially for their first digital partner. Thus Tamers possessing large amounts of empathy were charged with the task of studying new Tamers and assigning them appropriate Digimon. This process worked wonders, but it was tedious. It wasn't used very often, and Jen had wondered about Vandar's decision to put it into practice on Izzy.  
  
Mantis treated Izzy with respect and admiration, unlike Jen, whom he often picked on. Jen had expected this; she knew that the Tentomon preferred intelligent individuals who possessed never-ending curiosity. Jen was a very talented student, but her top grades were mainly due to hard work and a keen memory. She was really a happy and goofy type of person. Izzy, however, was an honest-to-goodness genius who thirsted for knowledge and learning.   
  
"Yes," Jen answered, "I am." She sighed deeply. Everyone still laughed when she voiced her opinion on the Blood Knights, despite the fact that the signs were getting more and more prominent every day.  
  
"Let's see if we can find out what's going on here," Izzy suggested before Mantis could say anything to Jen about her crazy theory. He flicked on the radio.  
  
"...released dozens of crazed Digimon into Drive City. Buildings are being leveled, chaos, as you can hear, is ensuing-"  
  
Izzy's face grew grave as a loud crashing sounded in the background. It was followed by several screams. Sirens were wailing noisily, and it was obvious that large, heavy objects were being totaled and toppled over. The poor reporter's voice was becoming more and more panicked.  
  
"Tamers," he cried, "where are you? If something's not done soon-good he-" The microphone that the news caster was using gave a shrill feedback tone.  
  
"He dropped it," Jen whispered. The mic was still on, however, and it was picking up cries of fear, which quickly evolved into shouts of pain and anguish. Jen gasped as a loud roar sounded. Then there was a crunch, and the radio fell silent.  
  
For a long moment the three friends said nothing. Finally Izzy reached over and turned off the radio. Jen noticed that his hands were gripping the steering wheel abnormally tightly. She turned the navigation system back on.  
  
"You're in no state to drive," she informed Izzy in an oddly calm voice.   
  
"Forget driving!" Mantis screamed. "We're going too slowly! We need to get there NOW!"  
  
"I agree," Izzy replied in the same tone of icy calmness that Jen had used. He felt so unreal. "Mantis, it's time to digivolve."  
  
"Hold on!" Jen cried. "One of us has to stay with Quest! Anything could happen to it if we don't. I'm going! I've got four more years of experience!" Her calm quickly retreated at the thought of being left behind while her partner went to fight.  
  
"We both deserve to go, but this time I'll be the one to-oh...." Izzy found that he was unable to continue when he saw the look on Jen's face.  
  
"Please," she whispered, "I'll go mad not knowing. Anything could be happening. If you go on ahead, I won't know what's happening to you." Jen grabbed Izzy's hand as if she could hold him back from the dangers ahead.  
  
"Stop being so dramatic!" Mantis cried. "Just Rosh ambo for it or something! Call the Digimon and let's get going!" Jen gave him an appalled look, but Izzy nodded and pulled over off of the road so he could release all of the Digimon from Quest's server.  
  
Puru Puru, Elvis, and Tochiko materialized on the side of the road. Revien came forth from Jen's Digivice. Izzy had befriended two more Digimon of his own: a Gizamon named Tetsuke and a Ninjamon named Shinobi.  
  
"I can't leave this to chance!" Jen hollered, ignoring the Digimon as they waved at her. "I know it's the Blood Knights! I've been dreaming of stopping them for four years! I told myself that I would. It was the only way that I could go on watching all of the terrible stuff on the news without feeling like I was sitting back and letting it happen. Training the Digimon was all I could do. Getting our team ready kept me from going mad." She turned to Revien. "P-people are hurting r-right now, and I'm safe and s-snug in a Digi-Beetle. How can I live with th-that?"  
  
The Wizardmon felt her words move his heart. He didn't listen as Izzy explained that it was essential for one of them to remain behind.  
  
"You're not thinking clearly, and with good reason," Izzy said compassionately. "If you proceed to the battle now, you'll get injured. Please, Jen, stay safe here."  
  
Before Jen could counter him with an argument of her own, Revien spoke up with his mysterious voice. "Someone must watch over Quest," he pointed out, "and someone will. Me. Normally the police would pull over a Digi-Beetle with just a Digimon in it, but they will be far too busy now to notice me. You will fight."  
  
Jen threw her arms around him. "Oh, I love you Revien! I love you!" she exclaimed as she lifted his funny hat and kissed his forehead. Indeed, she had always loved him like a kind older brother. Revien was infinitely sweeter to her than Juunchi was, after all. Cody, Jen's little brother, was the best kid sibling that she could ask for, and though she loved him dearly, he lacked the wisdom of a person who's lived longer than she had.  
  
While Jen and Izzy had been arguing, the Digimon had digivolved. Puru Puru had become Gryphomon, Tochiko was Tenshicibimon, Elvis was Metaletemon, Shinobi was MetalMamemon, Mantis was Megakabuterimon, and Tetsuke was Gigadramon. Jen and Izzy climbed onto Mantis and took off. Elvis had to hitch a ride on Puru, and Shinobi was clinging to Tetsuke's back.   
  
As Revien watched them grow smaller and smaller as they flew away, he slowly lowered his hat to cover his pink cheeks.  
  
*********  
  
Izzy's arms were wrapped around Megakabuterimon's horn. He didn't want to loose his balance, and neither, apparently, did Jen. She was clinging to his waist and looking straight ahead with a neutral expression on her face. Izzy knew better than to interrupt her distant train of thought, but he had to say something. A throng of Odaiba High students were riding their flying Digimon around them, but everyone was deathly silent.  
  
"Jen," Izzy said just loud enough for her to hear him over the whoosh sounds and the buzzes that Mantis's wings produced as they moved through the air. "I know you're on the emotional side, and I'm aware of the fact that you're a bit sensitive."  
  
"Am I?" Jen asked in a tone that suggested that her thoughts were far away.   
  
"Yes. Jen...this will be difficult. The sooner we've completed this horrible task, the better. I've a feeling that we won't escape unscathed."  
  
"Ugh! Your negativity is giving me chills," Mantis complained in his new, deep voice. "Are you saying that we're all gonna buy it?"   
  
"Oh, no! For heaven's sake, what do you think I am? I was merely implying...that this is going to hurt us emotionally." The redhead turned to Jen to see her reaction, but she was staring into space again as if she hadn't even heard. "I think," Izzy muttered to Mantis, "that one of is already a little scarred."  
  
Another long moment passed by as all the Tamers worried silently. Their insides were all wriggling, especially those of the younger and more emotional ones. Some, like Jen, had apparently detached themselves from reality in an attempt to stay calm, or as a result of the strange sense of calm that had already overcome them. Suddenly, Jen jerked out of her alternate world. "Aren't we nearly there? We need to go faster! Move your maroon tush, Mantis!" she demanded.  
  
"I'm going as fast as I can, trust me," replied the huge Digimon.  
  
"I see smoke," Izzy reported, pointing ahead of them. "That must be it. We're coming up on it." Soon all of the sounds that they had heard over the radio became faintly audible. Jen's grip tightened more and more around Izzy's waist to the point of discomfort, which soon came to the point of estrangement. "Please, Jen!" he gasped.  
  
  
  
"I don't like this," Jen whispered as she loosened her grip. She closed her eyes and pressed her face against Izzy's shoulder in an attempt to block out all of the negative things that were going on around her. This only confirmed Izzy's opinion that she shouldn't have come, but he made no comments. Her nearness made him forget what was going on for a moment, despite the fact that they were right on top of it. An especially loud scream made Jen recoil and lift her head.  
  
"I warned you," Izzy replied quietly. "But I understand that you needed to be here." Jen said nothing as they came closer. She could tell that Mantis was beginning his descent.  
  
As he came closer and closer to landing, the scene around them became worse and worse. It seemed like everything was on fire. Sirens were wailing loudly and lights were flashing. Though the sun was brightly shining and the weather was nearly perfect except for a bit of a chill (which was warded off here by the blazing flames), and it seemed like a mockery. Jen gaped at it in horror. She saw mutated Digimon everywhere. They were obviously the result of unchecked DNA digivolution, and they weren't pretty. The Digimon were either wild or insane; there was something demonic about the delight that a Veedramon seemed to be taking in slowly chewing a disembodied human arm. Jen couldn't pull her eyes away as blood oozed from its jaws.  
  
"I don't like the looks in their eyes," Mantis muttered. "They're not wild. I was wild once, too, and I was surrounded by other wild Digimon. None of us had gleams like that in our eyes...."  
  
Jen realized that he was right. There was definitely something evil in the hearts of these Digimon. For a moment, she found herself wondering if there were even more victims than she had thought there were....  
  
Izzy was giving the Digimon orders while Jen was staring transfixed at the smoldering ruins of Drive City. She watched as all kind of Digimon used their fire attacks on everything and didn't really hear her partner. "Mantis, wait here. Jen and I are going to search for survivors, and we'll bring them to you. You can transport the most people. We need you to come with us, Elvis. I want everyone else to split up and attack any wild Digimon that you see. They won't hesitate to destroy you, so don't hesitate to destroy them." As soon as the last words of Izzy's speech had been spoken, the Digimon scattered. Izzy led Jen into the search for living civilians.   
  
However, the first thing they found was not a victim. "Look!" Jen cried as she pointed to a Digi-Beetle. "It's got a red body with black parts! Do you know what that means?!"   
  
Izzy couldn't believe it. He did know what it meant. It meant that Jen had been right all along. "That's a Blood Knight Digi-Beetle," he whispered.  
  
"You were right after all!" Elvis exclaimed. Jen's fists clenched tightly.  
  
"Get it, Elvis," she said coldly. The Metaletemon nodded and took a step forward.  
  
"No!" Izzy shouted. "We need you to protect us! I know it's hard, but you'll have to let it go!" Jen stared at him. Finally she frowned bitterly, admitting her defeat. "Alright," Izzy said grimly. "Let's get to work."   
  
All that Jen really remembered about the whole thing after that was all the pain she saw. She and Izzy rescued people whose faces were so badly burned that even their families couldn't recognize them. They helped people who would be paralyzed for the rest of their lives. They saved victims with broken bones and wounded hearts. Sadly, there were many people that they could not save....  
  
..."Look out!" Jen cried as a little girl with blonde curls stood crying in the path of a falling telephone poll. Jen raced towards her, but she had never been very fast... It was coming closer and closer-she wouldn't make it in time to push the girl away-  
  
Jen gasped loudly as she awoke with sweat streaming from her forehead. She sighed loudly and rolled over in her bed. I knew I wouldn't sleep well, she thought. Izzy was right. Jen curled into a ball under the covers. She wondered how she could just go back to school tomorrow as if nothing had happened and everything was alright. The teenager realized with a start that tears were running silently down her cheeks. Izzy was right again, she told herself. I guess I am sensitive. She rubbed at her eyes to push away the image of the little girl's horrified face.   
  
Jen turned over again to see how late it was. The glow of her electronic clock read 2:41. She knew that she wouldn't get any sleep, so she allowed her mind to replay the rest of the day. She had refused to leave until the last crazed Digimon was destroyed or captured. She wanted to stay to search for more survivors, but Izzy could tell that she was physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. He had ordered Mantis to take her home. Revien and Quest had arrived there. Jen didn't have the strength left to tell her family what had happened, so she immediately fell into her bed to vainly seek some rest.  
  
It was them, Jen reminded herself. You were right. The Blood Knights have returned....  
  
**********  
  
More than a month had passed since the disaster at Drive City. People had stopped dwelling on it constantly. However, there were still matters to be taken care of. Jen and Izzy were apparently the only ones who saw the Blood Knight Digi-Beetle, because the government and the Guard Teams were still striving to figure out who was behind the attack. There was another problem, too.  
  
"We need more money," Vandar reported bluntly to his audience. All the Gold Hawks were sitting before him. "Ms. Cecilia, Mr. Skull, and I met again yesterday. We all need to raise our funds. For all that we know, we could be in the midst of a Digimon war any day now, and we need all of the financial support that we can get. So we're going to have a festival." Vandar proceeded to describe the event to his troops.  
  
"That sounds fun!" Jen said brightly as she and Izzy stepped out of the old revolving door that led to their HQ. "I hope I get a good job. I bet I'll get a boring one, though. Like selling takoyaki or something (A/N: takoyaki is some kind of octopus dish)." Jen made a face at the thought of spending the festival with chopped-up octopus pieces.  
  
"Oh, don't worry," Mantis said as he as he sifted on the top of Izzy's head. "Vandar likes you; he'll get you something decent."  
  
"I think Vandar will pass the task of assigning jobs to someone else," Izzy pointed out. Jen sighed.   
  
"Well, it still sounds great. We get to wear kimonos or yukatas!" Jen smiled. "For once I get to look elegant!"  
  
"Emphasis on 'for once'" Mantis stated. Jen frowned at him.   
  
"Don't make me use my fly swatter," she warned. Izzy decided to say something to stop the argument, even though he knew that they were only teasing.  
  
"Jen, do you have somewhere to be?" he asked. Jen shook her head. "Alright, then let's go to the Tamer's Club. Maybe a Blue Falcon or a Black Sword heard some more details about this festival than we did."  
  
"That Palmon is always here!" Jen commented as she walked into the Tamer's Club. The first thing that she noticed was the familiar singing Palmon.  
  
"She's mine!" a familiar voice exclaimed. Jen and Izzy turned around to see Mimi. They gaped at her.  
  
"Why is she always here?" Jen asked after the shock had worn away a little.   
  
"My Papa owns this place," Mimi replied happily. Jen and Izzy shared amazed looks.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us?!" Izzy exclaimed. Mimi gave them a confused look.  
  
"Well, you never asked," she answered. Izzy slapped his forehead.  
  
"I'm not here much," Mimi continued in her high-pitched voice. "It's great, but I prefer the mall."   
  
"...I...see..." Jen stammered. Izzy stared at Mimi with a shocked expression on his face.  
  
Two familiar faces were watching Izzy and Mimi from across the room. "Hey," Tai said with a smirk as he nudged Matt. "Check those two out." He pointed to them. "Izzy's looking a little spaced out, huh?" Izzy did indeed have a strange look on his face, and Mimi was smiling back at him. From the angle of Matt and Tai, it was pretty easy to misinterpret the situation. As a matter of fact, it looked to them like...  
  
"Izzy's got a little crush," Matt snickered in a sing-song voice.  
  
"This'll be good," Tai agreed with an evil grin.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Jen: I seriously need a better chair. I can't tell you-  
  
Yama: How much your butt hurts?  
  
Jen: .....  
  
Yama: You're very predictable.  
  
Jen: Whatever. I'm so sorry this is taking so long, but I'm getting home at 6:30 every day because of play practice. By the time I eat, do homework, and get ready for bed.... Well, I only work on weekends, and those are usually really busy too. *sigh*  
  
Yama: Excuses, excuses.  
  
Jen: Hey, you always blame stuff on band practices. Anyway...I know the Drive City scene was a little lacking, but I had no idea how to describe it. Sorry! I hope you liked the chappy anyway! The next one will be lighter. Oh, and I'm working on a "Which Digidestined Are You?" quiz! I'll tell you when it's done! 


	5. Marked Man

Disclaimer: I dun own Digimon or Digimon World 2! I dun own "Annabel Lee" or "The Poetic Principle" or "The Bells"! They were written by Edgar Allan Poe! I dun own "Melodies", which was written by Thomas Moore! I own Jen! I own Galemon! Haffa nice day and dun sue me!  
  
Jenashu: HIYA PEOPLE!   
  
Yama: Calm down!  
  
Jenashu: Sorry, I just ate a huuuge sugar cookie! ...*urp*...I, um, shouldn't have done that, either... I feel a little sick....  
  
Yama: *sweatdrop*   
  
Jenashu: Anyway, I'm listening to some great sound clips from Digimon right now... I love all of them, especially ones that feature Izzy (CUTE!!) and Yama (funny!!!). If you know any sites that have them or if you have any that you'd like to share, please e-mail me and send 'em! CheckMateCat117@AOL.com! Just make sure to write Digimon Clips or Fanfiction.net in the subject bar, or I'll delete the e-mail (I never trust strange e-mails...)  
  
Yama: Umm, Jen? You are writing a fanfic here, right?   
  
Jen: Oh, yeah. Oh, I wrote a poem for this chap! Tell me what you think! Unfortunately, I don't know how to post stuff without stripping it of its formatting, so I can't write the stanzas with the proper spacing, and I can't use italics and whatnot... Ah well. The play I'm in is coming along! It'll be over soon, and I'll write more often! But until then, live with it!  
  
Yama: Just like Jen lived with only getting two reviews for her last chapter *snicker*  
  
Jen: ... ... ... ... *depression*...*urp*...I feel so baaaaaaaad! And sick! Ugh! *runs off*  
  
Yama: *silence* Umm? Uh...riiight. Uh, I guess I'm supposed to start the fic? Whatever. Enjoy (why do you people like this stuff?)  
  
Jen: *fluuuuuuuush* I heard that!  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Marked Man  
  
"It was many and many a year ago,  
  
In a kingdom by the sea,  
  
That a maiden there lived whom you may know  
  
By the name of Annabel Lee..."  
  
Jen loved English class. Foreign languages had always been easy for her to grasp. However, English was very confusing-many Americans, she had heard, spoke English all of their lives but still managed to slaughter it constantly. Understandably, then, many of the Japanese students detested English class, and they spoke the language shakily. According to their enthusiastic teacher, the best and most effective way to polish one's speaking skills was to recite poetry. And so Jen's fellow classmates took turns standing at the front of the class to stutter and fumble through American poems.  
  
So far the only person who had demonstrated perfect English poetry reading was Tera. She was an American, but she had moved into the home of her Japanese Aunt (apparently one of her parent's siblings had married a Japanese person-or maybe someone had been adopted into the family-Jen didn't know all of the details.) However, as Izzy continued his recital of Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee", it became clear that he wasn't going to be outdone by anyone. He was perfect-he was ALWAYS perfect (or so thought his peers in annoyance.) Although many people regarded Izzy's genius jealously when it was displayed before them, there was at least one person who was enjoying his recital without feeling bitterly that she had been cheated at birth.  
  
That certain someone desired simply to hear Izzy read the poem, and she did not secretly wish that he would make a mistake-just a little mistake, just once!-to prove that he was capable of error. Of course, no one really disliked Izzy; he was so polite and kind, after all. But they, being human, were very much jealous of his unparalleled skills involving everything academic. At any rate, Mr. Izumi was at least receiving someone's full, ungrudging attention. And was it just that someone's imagination, or was Izzy giving her a goodly amount of attention in return? Imagination, she decided. But perhaps....  
  
"I was a child and she was a child,  
  
In this kingdom by the sea:  
  
But we loved with a love that was more than love  
  
I and my Annabel Lee  
  
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven  
  
Coveted her and me...."  
  
Izzy continued telling the tale that Poe had so expertly woven. Annabel was chilled by icy winds, and she became very ill. Her relatives took her away from her cold home and her love in an attempt to nurse her health, but she was not saved. She passed away....  
  
"But our love it was stronger by far than the love   
  
Of those who were older than we-  
  
Of many far wiser than we-"  
  
Several people snorted here. Who could be 'far wiser' than Izzy? The irony was completely missed by Izzy's admirer, however; she was positively sure that he was looking at her now. In fact, he seemed to be shutting out everything but her, including his classmates, his attentive teacher, and her grade book. Somehow, the teenage girl thought-or perhaps hoped-that his next words were meant for her.   
  
"And neither the angels in heaven above  
  
Nor the demons down under the sea,  
  
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul  
  
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee...."  
  
Izzy's coal-colored eyes met Jen's dark chocolate ones. She was determined not to blush or turn away, and she stared-almost dully-back at him for a moment. After all, she wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. It took a few seconds for her mind to comprehend Izzy's behavior, but when she reached a conclusion of what it might mean, she felt a sudden urge to jump up and squeal in a very (if you'll excuse the expression) girlish way. She somehow managed to resist the temptation, and she settled on smiling shyly at the redhead. He seemed satisfied with her reaction. His eyes slipped away from hers as the world around him returned.  
  
A thousand thoughts sped through Jen's stunned mind at light speed. Oooooh! Does he like me? Don't get excited, now-you'll be crushed if it turns out to be a coincidence. Coincidence my butt-he wouldn't have looked at me for so long unless he meant something. Something? Something could be anything! I wish I knew what he was thinking! I'd be so happy if he wanted to be with me... Siiiigh. I can imagine it...   
  
"Jenashu Hino." ...right now. He'd be all flushed and embarrassed-I know he can be shy. "Miss Hino!" Trying to express his feelings during an assignment is pretty clever. That's so-OW!!  
  
Tai had prodded Jen sharply in the back of the head, causing her train of thought to abruptly fall from its rails and explode into a fiery mess. She whirled in her seat to face him with a glowering look on her face-he had destroyed her moment of bliss. Her cousin seemed surprised at her angry expression-he had expected her to look annoyed at worst. He was the one lucky person that she never hesitated to scold when he needed it, but she never yelled at him. Indeed, she seemed to have an unlimited supply of patience. Tai pointed to the front of the room, wondering what he had done to deserve the furious look that he had received.   
  
Jen turned again to face the front of the room. Her teacher looked just as bewildered as Tai felt, causing Jen's anger at being disturbed to morph into anxiousness. Had she said or done something strange without knowing it? Jen stomach lurched at the thought.   
  
"I wanted you to recite your poem," the English teacher informed Jen. "Didn't you hear me call you?" Jen shook her head nervously. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I-I think so, ma'am. I'm sorry, I'll say my lines." Jen stood up shakily.   
  
"Say her lines?" Matt whispered as he leaned to his left to get Tai's attention. "Where does she think she is? A play rehearsal?"  
  
  
  
"Shh." Tai was in no mood to talk at the moment. He was worried about his cousin's strange behavior. He watched her make her way to the front of the classroom. She fished a note out of her skirt pocket and unfolded it. The paper looked ruffled an old as if it had been in its hiding place for a long time. What's she doing? Tai wondered. We were supposed to memorize our poems.   
  
Jen didn't even bother to reveal the poem's author or name before she began to read it:  
  
"How often have I wished-I've tried-  
  
To snuff my heart's first flare.  
  
In vain I turn to walk away,  
  
Yet I return, because I care,  
  
To my first love's side  
  
To be at my first love's side.  
  
"Oh, to be at my first love's side  
  
Is to feel so bright, so warm.  
  
My pulse will pound, my head will spin,  
  
My dreams will live again, reborn-  
  
Yet I want to hide.  
  
I love you so, yet I hide.  
  
"I wish I knew what he would say  
  
If I revealed my heart.  
  
I'm so afraid to be denied,  
  
And so eager to make a start.  
  
Will I know some day?  
  
I must wait for my sweet day.  
  
He may not know I care, but I  
  
Will stay forever by his side."  
  
Silence followed her last word. Jen glanced at her classmates and blinked in confusion. Why does everyone looked so surprised? she asked herself.  
  
"That was-um-nice, but you were supposed to memorize your poem. And who wrote that? You never told us."  
  
Jen looked from her teacher to her paper. Suddenly she realized what she had done, and her face turned red with embarrassment. "I-I... I wrote that for I-extra credit. I thought I heard you say that we could write our own poem for extra points. I'm sorry if I misunderstood you and wasted everyone's time. I'll recite a proper poem now, ma'am." She fumbled with the folds her tattered paper before shoving back into the safety of her pocket.  
  
"I found this poem in "The Poetic Principle", which is an essay concerning the poems of Poe's time." Jen had impressively managed to regain her calm, and she was starting her assignment as if she hadn't just made an embarrassing error. "Poe wrote the essay, but the poem that I'm reciting-"Melodies"-is by Thomas Moore. Actually, this may only be part of the poem. I memorized what was in Poe's essay.  
  
"Come, rest in this bosom, my own stricken deer,  
  
Though the herd have fled from thee, thy home is still here;  
  
Here still is the smile that no cloud can o'ercast,  
  
And a heart and a hand all thy own till the last.  
  
"Oh! what was love made for, if 'tis not the same  
  
Through joy and through torment, through glory and shame?  
  
I know not, I ask not, if guilt's in that heart,  
  
But I know that I love thee, whatever thou art.  
  
"Thou hast call'd me thy Angel in moments of bliss.  
  
And thy Angel I'll be, 'mid the horrors of this,-  
  
Through the furnace, unshrinking, thy steps to pursue,  
  
And shield thee, and save thee,-or perish there too!"  
  
The teacher clasped a hand over her heart. "Beautiful," she decided. Her manner instantly changed from dreamy to official. "I'm afraid that I can't recall saying anything about extra credit. You did a fine job with Moore's poem, though. Don't worry about it. Just pay attention." Jen nodded and scurried to her seat. However, as she listened to Tai slaughter Poe's "The Bells" with his heavy Japanese accent and poor memory ("...the bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers-" "That's a few bells too many, Mr. Yagami...") she found that her attention was slipping back to her newly-cherished moment....  
  
*****  
  
As soon as the bell (ber?) that signaled the end of English class sounded, Jen lifted the top of her desk, extracted her lunch, and rushed out of the classroom. She flopped down under the tree that was the farthest away from the school building. She wasn't upset about what she had done; she simply wanted to think about the class without being bothered. After all, she could already hear Matt's teasing voice saying "Extra credit? That's a laugh! What have you got in English right now? A 98%? Poor you! You need to scrounge for those points, alright!"  
  
The weather was very unusual for fall. The breeze was calm and gentle, the sun was warm, and the air was crisp. The atmosphere did much to facilitate Jen's meditations. After a few minutes of quiet reflection, Jen felt astounded. She realized that she had read her own poem for a reason, just as Izzy had chosen "Annabel Lee" for a specific purpose (or so she hoped.) Even if her mind didn't know about it, her heart must have been in control the whole time. After all, she reflected, I'm not dumb enough to do something like that without a reason...I hope.  
  
What was the purpose of Jen's poem? It was meant for Izzy, and she had tried to give it to him a million times. She had struggled with the paper in the genkan. She had attempted to leave it in Quest's glove compartment. Once she nearly slipped it in his desk. What hadn't she tried? And why did she even bother with the darn thing in the first place?   
  
The answer to the latter question was simple. Izzy was Jen's partner. If it had been anyone else, Jen thought in frustration, I would have walked up to him and told him how I feel. But Izzy's my partner, and for the sake of our team, I can't do that. There's a good possibility that he'd feel awkward around me if I told him how I feel and he didn't return my feelings. That would have a terrible effect on our team. We might even disband.... I don't want that at all! I'd never see Mantis anymore, and I wouldn't be around Izzy as much....  
  
Despite all of the risks, Jen just couldn't take hiding her feelings anymore after a certain point. She hated having to be satisfied with smiling and saying hello to him whenever they met when she really wanted to give him a big hug. She couldn't stand simply patting his shoulder and trying to comfort him when he was hurt with sweet (but restricted) words. She wanted to embrace him tenderly, tell him she loved him, and see him smile because of it. Jen leaned back against the tree, closed her eyes, and sighed loudly.  
  
"Don't we look depressed."  
  
Jen's body jerked; she gasped, and her eyes flew open. Garu Sayoe was towering over her, and the sun was glistening in his fine blonde hair. He squatted by her side. "What's up with you? I heard you, uh, made a bit of a fool of yourself in English class. That's not what you're moping over, is it?"  
  
"I'm not moping over anything." Jen regained her composure as quickly as she could. "You know I'm jumpy. Please don't scare me like that." She stared at her friend for a moment. "How did you know about English? It's been, what-six minutes since the class ended?"  
  
"Yeah, well, Mimi Tachikawa's in your class."  
  
"Ah. Point made." Garu eased out of his squatting position and sat down next to Jen. He stared at her in a nearly critical way, as if he was evaluating Jen's looks. It made Jen feel a bit nervous. She wondered what he was looking for and hoped that he wasn't judging her appearance. Doing that now, after all these years, seemed strange, but the minds of males work in mysterious ways.  
  
"W-why are you staring at me?" she finally asked after a few long seconds. Garu smiled boyishly.  
  
"Is that a crime?" he questioned in reply.   
  
"Looking is fine. Staring is usually considered rude." Garu started snickering, and soon he was laughing loudly. Jen understood what was funny about her comment. Garu was hot, and he knew it-everyone knew it, it was very hard to miss. He was a French boy (his family had moved from France to Britain to Japan, back to France, and back to Japan again because of his father's job) with fine blond hair that framed his face in gentle waves. His pale blue eyes sparkled, and he was built soundly. Girls stared at him openly wherever he went, which, according to Jen's comment, made them all rude. Jen waited for his laughter to subside. "Are you quite finished?"   
  
Garu grinned at her. "Yes, I think I am." His serious demeanor returned; he was very quiet and reserved around most people. "Didn't you ask me a question? Oh, why was I staring at you." His serious manner darkened into graveness, and for a moment he was silent. "No reason. Where are your friends?"  
  
Jen wasn't at all satisfied with his answer, but she wouldn't press the issue. "I, umm, didn't want to be teased."  
  
"Your friends shouldn't tease you." Garu was staring at his sandwich almost bitterly.  
  
"Why not? You do." Jen blinked at him. "Something wrong?" Her friend didn't reply. He was looking straight ahead. Jen's friends had found her, and they were advancing on her hideout. Matt sped up his pace so he could get there first, and soon he was sitting down by Jen's side with a big grin on his face.  
  
"Extra credit, Jen? Hah! That's rich! Poor thing, you've gotta pull up that 97%, huh?" he teased as he nudged her. Jen couldn't stop herself from smiling as the others sat themselves around her.   
  
"Hi Garu," Tai said. He sat down next to Matt. "Why'd ya bolt after class, Jen? And what's up with running off to farthest reaches of the grounds? We had trouble finding you."  
  
"Maybe she didn't want to put up with Matt," Tera observed. She got settled beside Tai. Matt snorted in annoyance at her comment.  
  
"I liked the poem you wrote," Mimi told Jen. "It was so sweet and romantic!" She caught sight of Garu and giggled. "Hi!" Garu gazed inexpressibly at her.  
  
Jen sighed. "Thanks, Meems."   
  
"Were you spacing out during yesterday's class or what?" Sora asked. "You're not sick, are you?" She frowned in concern.  
  
"Nah, she was just being her normal, ditzy self," Matt decided through a mouthful of food. Garu glared icily at him. Soon he turned his cold eyes to Izzy, who completed the circle as he sat down. The redhead happened to look up and catch his unpleasant stare. He frowned at him; they were rivals in tournaments, just as Matt and Jen were. However, those two had managed to get over that, and they were pretty good friends (although one had to look beyond Matt's love of tormenting Jen to realize it.) Garu had, for some reason, decided to treat Izzy like a rival at all times, not just during tournaments. Izzy couldn't do much but bear it, especially because Garu was such good friends with Jen.  
  
Izzy turned away from the blonde heartthrob and tried to silently catch Jen's attention. She was really too busy warding off Tai and Matt as they picked on her to notice him, though. Izzy sighed silently in his heart as he dug into his lunch. He wondered if Jen had gotten anything out of English class.... And what about that poem of hers? Of course, there was the distinct possibility that Jen had just made a ditzy mistake, but....  
  
*******  
  
"Finally!" Jen exclaimed as she pulled on her outdoor shoes in the genkan. "Home! Friday! Festival! Yukata!"  
  
"Takoyaki," Tai groaned. He had been assigned the lovely job of serving octopus. Jen patted his head sympathetically.  
  
"My poor cousin," she commented as she stood up. She watched Tai pull a pair of muddy cleats out of his locker. "Soccer practice today, huh?"  
  
"Yeah." Tai struggled with a knot in the shoestrings. Jen stared at him for a moment, amused by the huge amount of difficulty that his shoes were giving him. After a minute or so, she realized that she couldn't stand around all day.   
  
"I've gotta get going! I've got a lot to think about!" Tai rolled his eyes at his cousin. She ignored the gesture and reached over to touch a lock of his crazy hair. "Poof!" she said happily while she ran her fingers through his bushy doo. The Tamer exited the genkan with an energetic bounce fueling her steps. Tai stared after her, shaking his head slowly.  
  
"Yeah, kind of weird, huh?" Tai jumped as Matt's voice sounded behind him. He whirled around to see the blondy standing behind him. "What is she, hair fetish?"  
  
"Got me," replied the Yagami boy. "She just likes hair a lot." Matt snorted.  
  
"Yeah, that's what I meant by 'hair fetish'." He looked down at his friend, who was pulling on his shoes on the floor. "Your whole family is either dumb or really weird. 'Cept maybe your cute kid sister-Ow! Hey, man!"   
  
Tai had chucked a mud-ridden cleat at Matt's face. He was shocked to see blood dripping down his cheeks. The soccer player jumped to his feet.  
  
"Matt! Oh hell, I'm sorry-I didn't mean to throw it hard-C'mon, I'll take you to the nurse. I'm so sorry! Oh, man...." Tai grasped Matt's arm in an attempt to guide him to the health room. The blonde shoved him away and stalked wordlessly out of the genkan.   
  
*********  
  
About ten minutes later, Matt was sitting in the health room with a big bandage on his cheek. Tai was sitting anxiously next to him. He knew that Matt would knock his block off as soon as they were off of school property. Even though the slur against his family still stung in his mind, Tai would take his beating when it came. "I'm sorry," he repeated.   
  
For a moment Matt did not acknowledge him. After a pause he turned to face his apologetic friend. "Nah, forget it."  
  
Tai stared at him. Was this some kind of trick?  
  
"I had no right to insult your family. I went too far." The image of TK, his younger brother, flashed through his mind. He knew that he wouldn't let anyone, not even Tai, get away with insulting him. "If I were you, I would have chucked a shoe at me, too." A grin found its way across Matt's injured face. "Just do me a favor and throw a regular shoe next time."  
  
***********  
  
Izzy watched his fellow Guard Tamers lazily as they rushed around to make last-minute preparations. The fund-raising festival would begin in about ten minutes. The redhead would have offered to help the stragglers, but he knew that if he broke their anxious trains of thought or threw them off of their frenzied grooves he'd have his head bitten off. At any rate, he did have one thing to worry about, despite the fact that he had set up his station already. Jen was nowhere to be seen.  
  
And so the procrastinators slaved away in the fading light of the sun. Soon the last feeble rays of orange and red would give way to the heavy darkness of night. Here, however, in the calm setting of Digital City's park, the blackness would not rule. Of course, the calmness of the place had long since disappeared, owing to the hectic festivities of the extraordinary occasion. But at any rate, here the night was welcome and met with a fantastic array of lights.  
  
People were quickly erecting canopy structures that would shelter their stations. The girls fussed and whined about getting their yukatas dirty, and the boys were having trouble with the sleeves of their obis. Izzy watched them from his station and found himself dozing off in his chair. He was nearly asleep when someone clamped their hands against his shoulders. The redhead jumped from his seat.   
  
"Whoops!" Jen released him with a grin. "Don't have a heart attack now!" Izzy sighed with relief and looked up at her. His planned comment died on his lips.   
  
Jen looked expectantly at him while he stared. She tilted her head in a way that said, "Yes?" Izzy struggled to get something out besides, "U-uh...."  
  
"So!" a loud voice called. Izzy spun around in his seat to identify the intruder. "That's what you had to think about, Jen!" The visitor was Tai. He was wearing a blue obi with an apron covering it. His arms were laden with boxes, but he set them down before walking under Izzy's canopy.   
  
Tai stood in front of Jen and looked her over. She had curled her long hair. The strands at the front that normally hung around her face at different lengths were pulled back into two small braids that intertwined at the back of her head. The curls cascaded from beneath those crowning braids like an auburn waterfall. Her yukata was light purple, and lime-colored leaves were embroidered onto it. With a grin Tai fingered a curl and have it gentle tug. "Poof." Jen smiled at him.  
  
"You flatter me, Tai," she said. "You look great, too, especially with that sexy apron on." Tai grinned.  
  
"You'd better believe it," he replied. He glanced at the boxes that he was carrying and sighed. "Look, I've gotta go. Octopus pieces are calling me. Have fun, kids." He lifted his burden again and walked off.  
  
"Kids?" Jen asked. "I'm older than him." She shrugged at Izzy as she tried to hide her disappointment. No one had commented on the laborious project that was her appearance. She was suddenly bitten by a lack of self-confidence. In an attempt to win it back, she decided to bait Izzy by telling him that he looked cute in his orange obi. Before she could, however, another Tamer interrupted her. This time it was Garu. He was wearing an obi that was the same blue-green color of the sea.  
  
"Well look at you," he said. "How long did that take you?" Like Tai, he walked up to Jen to touch a curled lock. However, he didn't playfully tug at it; he gently ran his fingers through the curly mass. "You remind me of the paintings of Roman goddesses."  
  
Jen blushed. She was used to compliments on her voice, artwork, and her grades, but no one ever complimented her on her looks. "Y-you don't mean it." You can't mean it, she thought. People only say I look nice on special occasions. Admittedly, Jen had left her house feeling that she looked rather attractive, but she was really delighted with her curls.  
  
Garu frowned. "Of course I mean it. I don't flatter people." He looked really annoyed, so Jen hastened to make amends.  
  
"Well...thank you." She crossed her arms over her chest and feigned annoyance. "You, of course, always look great." Garu allowed himself a smile, and Izzy turned away from them.  
  
"I always hate to desert a good-looking girl, but my fellow Black Swords won't want me getting too friendly with a Gold Hawk at an official Guard Tamer event, and I've got work to do. Have fun."  
  
"Oh, I will. It'll be great! You enjoy yourself too, Garu." Another grin found its way across his face.   
  
"We're getting relieved half-way through the festival, you know. Would you like to go around with me?" he asked. Izzy listened intently as he tried to look busy and inattentive.   
  
Jen hesitated. "Well, um," she started uncomfortably. "I was hoping...well, I want to be available...in case, umm, someone asks me.... Sorry, Garu-san..."  
  
A grave look passed Garu's handsome face. His gaze traveled past Jen's shoulder to Izzy, who had gone noticeably weak with relief. The blonde's penetrating blue gaze returned to Jen. "Alright," he said simply. He couldn't decide whether to ask her to find him if the person that she had in mind didn't ask her to the festival. He didn't want to be her second choice, but he also didn't want to miss the chance to spend his free time with her. Garu decided to figure it out later as he turned to walk off. Jen stared after him with a worried and downcast look on her face.  
  
"What's up with you?" a funny voice demanded. Jen knew it was Mantis right away. She ignored his question and asked one of her own.  
  
"Where were you?"  
  
"Just scoping out the booths. Do you need me?" Here Izzy spoke up.  
  
"We're prepared, Mantis. You're free to continue exploring." Mantis nodded and flew off.  
  
"What do you mean?" Jen asked. She walked back to Izzy's chair. "You set everything up without me?" Izzy nodded. "Oh, I'm so sorry! You had to do it all? That stinks! You were working while I was just getting ready?"  
  
Izzy smiled up at her. "That was work unto itself, I'm sure." He too reached up to touch Jen's hair. He searched his mind for the right words to compliment her with, but she beat him to it.  
  
"You look cute in your obi." She smiled playfully. "Of course, it kind of clashes with your hair-" here she paused to tenderly touch his red tresses-"but I still like it. Very cute!"  
  
Izzy tried to smile back. Cute? She had told Garu that he always looks great, and she tells him that he looks cute? He wanted her to think he was handsome. Izzy heard himself saying, "Garu was right, you know." Garu again? He's even interfering with my subconscious now. Wonderful. "You really do look like a goddess." Well, I suppose that could have come out worse, but it certainly wasn't original.  
  
The redhead recognized the shy smile that she gave him. It was the same one that she had bestowed upon him when he read "Annabel Lee". The memory brought Izzy some confidence. "Listen, Jen-"  
  
"Excuse me, can you please help us?" The Tamers turned away from each other to face a mother. She was shepherding three timid-looking young boys. Jen smiled at them. They're so cute! she thought.  
  
"Sorry, ma'am. We didn't realize that it was time to start." Jen picked up three small bowls and three little hand-held nets from a basket on the ground. She distributed them out to the kids. "Here you are! If you need any help, just ask. Good luck!"   
  
While the mother handed Izzy her fee for the game, the children walked over to a square makeshift pond. Handsome little goldfish were swimming around inside. The oldest and most experienced child tried to catch one first. He held out the bowl and watched a fish with cat-like patience. Suddenly he dipped the net into the water and attempted to push the fish into his bowl. It squirmed out of the net at the last second.  
  
"Ooooh," Jen said, feeling sorry for him. "Too bad. It was really close!"  
  
The second child also tried and failed. The youngest kid looked up at Jen with big, round eyes. "Will you help me?" Jen's lips curved into a warm smile.   
  
"Of course." She kneeled by his side and gently grasped both of his hands. "Which one do you want?" He pointed to a big, spotted one. "Okay. We have to wait for it to come." They waited motionlessly as the target inched closer and closer. "Now!" Jen whispered. She darted the net into the water and plopped the fish triumphantly into the bowl.  
  
"Alright, guy!" she cheered. "That fishy didn't stand a chance against you!" The boy beamed at her. "Now go to the redhead," Jen added, pausing to look up at the same redhead with a grin, "and he'll put your fish in a bag so it'll be safe." The boy obeyed her and marched up to Izzy like an honored hero. Soon he was walking away with his fish in a water-filled bag, his older brothers looking sulky.  
  
Jen turned back to Izzy, smiling widely. "This'll be a fun night." She returned the bowls and the nets to their basket. "Oh, weren't you saying something when they showed up?" Izzy fidgeted a little, looking uncomfortable.   
  
"Well, yes. I, um-"  
  
"Finally! THERE you are!" Izzy bowed his head in defeat as a fourth party came to interrupt him. This time it was Matt. He wore a moss-green obi and a big bandage on his face.  
  
"What happened to you, Matt?" Jen asked anxiously. He shrugged in reply.  
  
"It's nothing." Jen opened her mouth to argue, but Matt cut her off. "Well, there is one problem. I'm not going on stage with my face looking like this."  
  
"That's right," Izzy realized. "You were supposed to do a quick act with your band."  
  
"Exactly. And I'm not doing it now."  
  
"Oh Matt, you're so impossible," Jen sighed. "You made a commitment and you have to see it through."   
  
"You sound like my mother," Matt scolded. "And I am seeing it through. Sort of. I want you to take my place." Jen blinked at him. "Look, I know you can sing. Just sing something-anything-when they announce me, okay?"  
  
"You've got to be kidding me." Jen rubbed at her throbbing temples.   
  
"C'mon, you owe me one, kid!"  
  
"I'm older than you. I swear! And since when do I owe you anything?"  
  
"Well-" Matt paused to think about that. "My birthday's very soon," he said hopefully. Jen sighed again and threw her hands up.  
  
"Fine, I'll do it." Matt thwacked her back gratefully.  
  
"Thanks a lot, Jen. You saved my ass." He started retreating before Jen could change her mind.   
  
"I'd rather kick it," she muttered as another customer walked up.  
  
*********  
  
A while later Jen realized that she had to get going to fulfill her promise to her rival. "Izzy, I'll have to leave this to you. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's not your fault," he replied. "Go ahead. Good luck."   
  
"Thanks, Iz." Jen jogged towards the park's parking lot to find Quest. She needed to get a CD out of the glove compartment to sing to. The loud sounds of the festival died down as she tried to make her way through the dark. Suddenly she stopped. She had heard something.  
  
Dark red claws emerging from the shadows...glistening teeth, dripping with saliva...bloodshot eyes that carried a mad gleam.... A Devidramon was lurking menacingly in the darkness.   
  
Jen jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding the Digimon's Crimson Claw technique. Its force still managed to knock her to the ground. After a moment, she shakily got to her feet and glared darkly at her attacker. "Are you trying to get my new yukata dirty?" she demanded in a hard voice. Her hand flew into her pocket to withdraw her digivice. In a flash of light, Puru emerged from it. The Ultimate Digimon made easy work of the Champion.  
  
"What was that all about?" Puru asked. "I thought this was a festival."  
  
"Yes," Jen replied, staring into the darkness. "Someone thinks I know too much."  
  
*********  
  
"I want to go home."  
  
"But you're done singing, and we've been relieved. You can enjoy the festival now."  
  
"No, please. I just want to go home!"  
  
"Why?" Izzy asked. He placed a hand on Jen's forehead. "Don't you feel well?"  
  
"No, not really. I think I may be coming down with something."   
  
"You don't feel warm." That much was true, but Izzy had noticed that Jen had been shivering involuntarily ever since she got back from singing. "Is something wrong? Are you cold?"  
  
"I'm just...I'm going home." Jen had been scared stiff ever since she realized that the Blood Knights had her marked.  
  
"Alright. Do you want me to take you?" Izzy asked.   
  
"You can't. Someone needs to take Quest home."  
  
"It's dark. We can turn on the navigation system and have Revien take Quest to your home. No one will notice."  
  
Jen paused. "Well... I don't want to trouble you. You go ahead and enjoy the festival. Quest will get me home safely, don't worry."  
  
"You won't be covered from the cold air," Izzy pointed out. He desperately wanted to drive Jen home because he knew that something was wrong. "I don't want you to get sick. You seem to be starting a cold, and it could get worse."   
  
Although Jen knew that she'd feel much safer with Izzy, something held her back from accepting his kind offer. For once, she'd be completely alone with him. No classmates, no fellow Tamers, no Digimon. Just the two of them. That was the most appealing and terrifying thought in the world.  
  
"I'll be fine. Just enjoy yourself. I'll see you soon."  
  
Izzy's heart sank. "Jen, I wish you'd let me escort you." Jen stared at her shoes and Izzy sighed internally. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then."  
  
"Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?"  
  
"Tai asked us to come over, remember?" Jen nodded as that fact came back to her. Izzy took another stab at gaining Jen's company. "Do you want me to pick you up? You don't live very far from Tai, so it's no trouble." Jen didn't want to argue anymore, so she caved in.  
  
"Alright. Thank you." Izzy smiled at her, causing Jen's heart to miss a beat. She muttered good-bye before walking cautiously to Quest.  
  
********  
  
By the next day, Jen's emotions were extremely jumbled by the fear that haunted her soul. If the Blood Knights wanted her dead, she didn't have long to live. Stop that, she thought angrily. You've got really tough Digimon watching over you. Don't you have confidence in them?  
  
A knock at the door caught Jen's attention. "Bye Mom," she called. "I'm going to Tai's." She swung the door open and tried to smile at Izzy, who was waiting for her.  
  
"Good morning," he said as he led the way to his car. He opened Jen's door for her.  
  
"Why do guys do that? I'm perfectly capable of opening my own door," Jen pointed out. Izzy blinked at her.  
  
"It's polite," he replied. Jen smiled at him as convincingly as she could.  
  
"Don't trouble yourself with the door thing. I've got it under control." She sat herself down and closed her door.  
  
"You can be very unusual," Izzy informed her as he settled down in the driver's seat. He started the car and pulled out of the driveway. At the first stop sign he turned to her. "What's wrong?" he demanded gently.  
  
So that's why he was so desperate to drive me home, Jen realized with disappointment. For some reason she didn't want to tell Izzy, but when she took a look at his worried face she found herself revealing the whole story to him. He shook his head in disbelief.  
  
"How could they possibly know that you're on to them?" he asked in bewilderment. Jen stared at her hands.  
  
"I don't know," she whispered, "but I'm so scared, Izzy." The redhead pulled over and turned to look at her. He could tell that her insides were squirming and shaking, but she was holding her discomfort in check. You should feel free to cry, Izzy thought. I wish I could allow you to cry on my shoulder. But what can I do for you? Simply tell you that it will be alright? I'd do anything to bear this difficulty for you....  
  
"You'll be fine," Izzy assured her. "The Digimon won't let you suffer. You can be sure that they'll protect you to the last." Jen nodded slowly. A moment later, Izzy started the car up again.  
  
**********  
  
"So why exactly did you ask us to come over, Tai?" Izzy wondered as he sat in Tai's room. Matt was beside him and Tai was lounging on his bed.   
  
"You know, just to hang out." Tai sat up straight.  
  
"What about Jen?" Matt asked. Tai grinned.  
  
"So she'd make us some cookies." Izzy slapped his forehead.  
  
"Actually, Izzy, there is some business that we have to attend to," Tai pointed out. He shared a demonic look with Matt. Izzy found himself gulping worriedly.  
  
"We happen to know something juicy about out favorite little redhead," Matt casually said. Izzy raised his eyebrows as he wondered what he had done that would fit under the category of 'juicy'.  
  
Matt didn't wait for him to ask questions. He retained his calm nonchalance as he continued his little speech. "I happened to notice," he claimed as he carelessly fixed his famous hair, "that our own little Izzy has his eyes on a very big prize."  
  
His words had the effect that he had hoped for. The color of Izzy's face drained away, but his cheeks were pink. He looked like a blushing porcelain doll without the beauty that they possessed. As a matter of fact, Tai summed Izzy's expression up when he said, "Don't puke now, Iz."  
  
How? Izzy's mind screamed. I haven't told a soul. I can't believe-  
  
Izzy's thoughts were interrupted when Matt continued his lecture. "Now, Mimi's the hottest girl of the grade-except for Sora, of course." Here Matt paused to look pleased with himself. "You can imagine our surprise when we found out that our little Izzy here has the hots for her!"  
  
Izzy blinked as his surprise gave way to confusion and finally relief. His tense body loosened up and he exhaled loudly. "I don't have a crush on Mimi," he informed Matt and Tai as the color crept back into his face. Matt cringed and grasped at his heart.  
  
"Izzy!" he cried. "I'm hurt! I'm shocked!"  
  
"We didn't think you'd lie to your friends, man!" Tai added. His acting skills weren't as good as Matt's; he couldn't stop grinning.  
  
The poor genius stared at the two of them in disbelief. "But I meant it," he explained numbly. He lifted his hand to his brow to rub at the hideous headache that was forming there. Matt's only response was to squeeze at his heart harder. Tai, however, caught Izzy round the neck with his left arm and put the knuckles of his right hand against his head.  
  
"Tell us the truth," he teased, "or I'll rub the skin off your skull!" The brunette demonstrated his point by giving Izzy a noogie. The painful pangs that were caused by his headache intensified as Tai's knuckles dug into his scalp.  
  
Izzy knew that the only way to escape his tormentors was to tell them that he had affections for Mimi. He sighed at his fate, but such was life, as he was well aware. Why is nothing fair? he asked himself bitterly as he resigned himself to the situation.  
  
********  
  
Jen hummed merrily as she carried a tray. She had made cookies and lemonade for the boys. Baking always improved her mood, and Izzy's reassurance had helped, too. She paused in the hallway before a sliding door and frowned. She thought she heard Izzy making loud, discomforted sounds.  
  
Someone's gonna get it, she thought darkly as she slid the door open slightly. Tai, Matt, and Izzy had their backs to her, and her cousin was giving her partner a noogie. Izzy was squirming uncomfortably as the other boys picked on him. Jen was about to start scolding Tai when Izzy's own shout cut her off.  
  
"Fine, you win-I like Mimi!"  
  
The boys didn't notice Jen as she silently shut the door. She could hear Matt and Tai laughing and talking ("See, that wasn't so hard!" "Yeah, man. Good luck-hah! You'll need it!") as she stared at the door. She felt nothing but shock as she stood there, frozen stiff. Slowly numbness replaces the shock, and Jen realized that she was able to stand no longer. She sunk to the floor and placed the tray beside her.  
  
It was all coincidence, Jen thought painfully. Her already jumbled emotions boiled over, and she felt tears stinging at her eyes. She knew it would take a while to walk home, but she'd do it. She knew it was dangerous because of the Blood Knights, but she'd do it anyway. She didn't want anyone to see her crying, but she couldn't stay there any longer. With a stifled sniff, Jen got to her feet and left Tai's house.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Jenashu: Another long one. Sorry it took so long, everyone. I've really gotta do my homework-R&R!!!!!!!  
  
Yama: See ya, people.  
  
Jenashu: I love the play, but I can't wait for it to be over. I can write more when it is! So look forward to that! Ohh, the next chapter is really sad, so be prepared. Later! 


End file.
